Police arrest suspected shooter in Gardens mall shooting during police press conference

PALM BEACH GARDENS — In what appeared to be a strange coincidence, as Palm Beach Gardens police Tuesday were updating the media about the Valentine's Day shooting at The Gardens Mall, the man they say was responsible for the shooting was arrested in West Palm Beach.

Police said that Devon Jamal Graham, a 28-year-old from Riviera Beach, was arrested around 2:50 p.m. Tuesday. Police said Graham shot a man on the escalator near P.F. Chang's at the mall on Feb. 14.

Palm Beach Gardens police had called a 2:30 p.m. Tuesday press conference at Palm Beach Gardens City Hall and Police Chief Clinton Shannon was updating the media on the investigation when the arrest in West Palm Beach was made.

During his press conference, Shannon said police had already arrested Kemarcio Antonio Mitchell, 28, who officials say was the man Graham shot. Mitchell, who police said had a handgun when the shooting occurred, was arrested Friday, Feb. 16 after he was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at St. Mary's Medical Center. Police said footage showed Mitchell discarding a pistol in the parking lot before running off the property.

Mitchell is in custody on a federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Police said Graham and Mitchell are affiliated with gangs and have a history of knowing each other.

“I want to reassure our community that they are our priority,” Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Chelsea Reed said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Our city is committed to addressing emergencies, such as this one that happened with The Gardens Mall last week, with the utmost diligence.”

Both Mitchell and Graham have extensive criminal histories, according to records.

Graham has had 30 felony charges, six felony convictions and one incarceration since 2011.

"Graham is in custody. That's the winning field goal at the end of the Super Bowl for us," Shannon said. "Our individuals have worked around the clock for this. I'm sure they are exhausted."

Mitchell has had 35 felony charges, 10 felony convictions, and two incarcerations since 2009.

What surveillance cameras recorded that day

Mall surveillance footage showed Mitchell walking down the escalator from the second floor toward two Black males who also were riding the escalator downward, Shannon said.

Mitchell approached the men in an “aggressive manner” and appeared to have a weapon concealed under his shirt, Shannon said.

As Mitchell approached one of the men who was wearing a purple hooded sweatshirt, that man pulled out a gun and fired at Mitchell. Police believe this man to be Graham.

Mitchell then ran up the escalator and out of the mall. Footage showed him discarding the weapon in the parking lot.

The shooter also ran out of the mall with another man who accompanied him, who was wearing a green long-sleeve shirt.

Officers did not find any suspects that day.

Police search for third person in connection with the shooting

Although police have arrested Mitchell and Graham, they are still searching for the man in the green shirt who accompanied Graham. They have not identified the man and asked anyone with information to come forward.

Police discovered an AK-47 assault rifle, a handgun and packages of fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in the vehicle that Graham and the other man arrived in.

Shannon did not say if Graham and Mitchell's meeting at the mall was planned or coincidental.

"It just happened that these individuals had a confrontation at this location," Shannon said Tuesday. "This could have happened anywhere."

Shooting sent shockwaves through the mall

The shooting sent employees and last-minute Valentine's Day shoppers fleeing for cover.

The police department announced the afternoon after the shooting that officers found one person at a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound stemming from the shooting.

Investigators said it wasn't a random shooting.

The Gardens Mall reopened at 10 a.m. the following day.

Some stores, including Starbucks and the Apple Store, delayed their usual openings until 11 a.m.

The mall showed no signs of the previous day's shooting Thursday morning. All sections were opened to shoppers, and all storefronts were staffed. Security officers were visible throughout the mall, patrolling its walkways. All escalators were operational.

Active shooter? Palm Beach Gardens statement prompts questions

The language used by Palm Beach Gardens police in the department's post on X, formerly Twitter, about the incident — "was not an active shooter event and does not appear to be a random shooting " — led some to question what the term "active shooter" means.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security define an active shooter as a person actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In most cases, there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.

Gardens Mall shooting: What to know about north county's upscale shopping, entertainment and dining locale

By comparison, a targeted shooting usually involves a pattern or method in selecting victims. Most shootings police agencies investigate are targeted shootings.

Mall had few incidents of gun violence since it opened in 1988

The mall, owned by The Forbes Company of Southfield, Michigan, is anchored by high-end department stores such as Nordstrom, Macy's and Bloomingdale's and is home to luxury shops such as Brooks Brothers, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Tiffany & Co.

Before Wednesday, it had seen few incidents of gun violence since it opened along PGA Boulevard in 1988. The most recent came in 2017, when a fight between two men began in the mall's food court, moved outside, and led to one man firing at the other's car.

In 2015, a security guard fired five warning shots as two alleged shoplifters fled the Saks Fifth Avenue store. No one was killed or seriously injured.

The shooting took place on the sixth anniversary of the Parkland shooting when a gunman killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two arrested in connection to Valentine's Day shooting at Gardens Mall