16-Year-Old Girl Shot After Attempted Theft From Popcorn Store, Causing Panic Among Mall Shoppers
On Saturday, Sept. 17, shots rang off inside Northpark Mall in Ridgeland, Mississippi, as 16-year-old Za’Lill D’Chelle Patterson attempted to steal from a popcorn store.
As reported by CBS 42, the shooting occurred around 5:20 p.m., when Patterson pulled out a gun after she was caught trying to shoplift from the store by the owner. According to Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers, the threatened store owner shot Patterson in the leg in self-defense.
Inside the mall, the gunshots caused major panic. In one documented moment, a father and his son were spending time together, enjoying the day while the child was trying on his first pair of Jordans. The father was recording their moment when suddenly the shots were fired. The duo ran inside a nearby store for safety. Thankfully they were not hurt.
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As reported by WJTV, shoppers inside the mall, consisting of parents with their children and elderly people, immediately made a dash for it, in fear for their lives.
“Here they come, shooting. Pow! Pow! I heard eight or nine shots because I’m a manager up here. Customers came to the back, and we let them out because we’re scared. Then, that’s when I saw it. The girl, she was laying right there. She was shot and hopped down there in front of our building. I was scared. I was scared,” Jayce Alyse, a mall employee, shared with WJTV.
Police stated that Patterson was brought to a local hospital before being booked into the Madison County Detention Center on an aggravated assault with a weapon charge. The teen is set to be charged as an adult. Myers also shared that the store owner, interviewed by the police, was seemingly cooperative.
“This is not good. I will say that we’ve never had something like this inside the mall. We don’t want to see or allow it. We will take action,” stated Myers.
In a press release, the Ridgeland Police Department stated, “We are so fortunate that no one else was injured in this incident. Special thanks to the City of Madison Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department for their prompt response to assist the Ridgeland Police Department with this incident as it was occurring.”
The owner of the store was not charged with anything.
