Guard, Suspect Shot in Georgia Mall
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A gunman tried to rob a security guard at a shopping mall Monday, and both men were shot as a panicked lunchtime crowd ran and ducked for cover, officials and witnesses said.
The guard's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, said Bill Ball, general manager of the Arbor Place Mall. Police said the suspect's wounds were more severe.
The Brinks guard was in the mall to service ATM machines, Ball said. The guard was on the second floor when the robber approached and put a gun to his head, police said.
They scuffled, and both men fired, with the guard hit in the leg and suspect in the mouth, Douglasville Police Chief Joe Whisenant said.
Both men were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. The suspect underwent emergency surgery Monday afternoon, the chief said.
Neither man's identity was released. The suspect is 41 years old, Whisenant said.
Shoppers and mall workers ran from the food court "with terror on their faces," said Diana Shasta, manager of a marketing company that has an office at the mall.
"I've never been so frightened in my life," the 30-year-old said. "Everybody was running for their lives, grabbing their babies, pulling their friends."
One bullet tore through a laminated sign at the Auntie Anne's pretzel stand, narrowly missing employee Catrina Lemley and manager Sharon Wilson.
"I heard gunshots and I saw pieces of the sign flying out. My manager told me to get down," said Lemley, 19, who is eight months pregnant. "It was scary."
Denise Shipp, of Douglasville, said she was eating lunch in the food court with her husband, Jon, when they heard gunshots. Her husband saw the guard tackle the suspect and hold him on ground, she said.
People were diving under tables, holding up chairs and hiding behind partition walls, she said.
A window over the mall's front entrance contained a hole from a bullet that apparently passed directly above the food court and an indoor playground.
Police briefly locked down the mall 21 miles west of Atlanta after the shooting. The mall was later reopened.
The wounded man is the only known suspect in the case, Whisenant said.
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