What do we know about the shooting in a Minnesota mall for which New York Giants players were present?
With details still unclear, the only thing that can be said is that the team’s players are safe, but sadly, a young man has lost his life this holiday season.
Gun violence once again took center stage one of America’s cities, only this time an NFL team was present. Thankfully none of the players were hurt, but sadly, the same can’t be said for everybody who was present.
Giants players present during shootout in Minnesota mall.
According to reports, an unidentified 19-year-old male was killed during a shootout at The Mall of America on Friday, which resulted in the establishment being placed under lockdown by the Bloomington police. What’s more, is that at the time that the tragic events were unfolding and the subsequent lockdown that followed them, it is understood that some players from the New York Giants were inside of the mall itself. In case you’re wondering, the Giants are in Minnesota of for Saturday’s Week 16 clash with the Vikings.
Following the terrible situation, Giants executive vice president of communications Pat Hanlon indicated that the team was staying at the hotel adjacent to the mall and that some players were inside at the time of the shooting, before going on to add that “everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for.” Incidentally, veteran Giants radio play-by-play announcer Bob Papa tweeted, that he too was inside the Mall of America at the time of the event.
What do we know about the shooting?
As per a report from Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, an altercation of some kind occurred between two groups of people at the mall’s Nordstrom location. During said confrontation, it is understood that one of the individuals brandished a firearm and proceeded to fatally shoot the victim multiple times. Indeed, mall surveillance appeared to show the fight between the two groups - estimated to be between five and nine individuals - erupt into a fist fight, before the weapon was drawn and shots were fired. In addition to the 19-year-old victim who sadly lost his life, a bystander’s jacket is understood to have been grazed by a bullet during the shooting according to Hodges. It is not known at this time, if the Giants players witnessed the shooting itself nor what led to it. “We don’t know why it happened or what happened,” Hodges said, before going on to declare, “We are going to catch you, we are going to lock you up and you are going to get an orange jumpsuit, It’s just a matter of when it’s going to happen.”