At least one person lost his life, while four others were injured during a robbery that went horribly wrong at a jewellery store in a shopping mall in San Antonio city in Texas on Sunday.
Police Chief William McManus told reporters that the shots were fired as two armed people, who robbed a jewellery store called Kay Jewelers at the Rolling Oaks Mall, were trying to escape.
Two bystanders tried to intervene, due to which one was shot dead by one of the robbers. The other bystander, who had a license to carry a hidden weapon, shot one of the suspected robbers injuring him. The bystander who shot the robber remained unhurt.
The second suspected robber fled the mall firing his gun while running through the mall. The firing injured another three people, including a man and a woman.
"What we have here is a robbery gone really, really bad. It's absolutely senseless. This is the second time that a Good Samaritan was killed trying to intervene in a crime," McManus said in a video posted on San Antonio city's Facebook page.
The police chief added that the four injured, including the suspected robber, have been admitted to the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) for treatment. The suspect is in critical condition. Two victims were being treated for "non-life threatening gunshot wounds," while one victim was "transported for chest pains." The identities of the victims were not revealed.
The suspect who fled the mall is still at large. The police described the suspect as "a Hispanic male wearing a hoodie and mask was last seen leaving the mall."
The mall was locked down following the shooting with all shoppers and employees held inside the stores. The police carried out combing operations in the area to look for the second suspect who managed to escape. Shoppers were also evacuated from the mall.
"We searched the mall and we feel as confident as we can feel that the suspect is not in there," McManus was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.
