Three people have been taken to hospital following an altercation at Calgary’s Market Mall.
AHS EMS was called to the northwest mall at 2:40 p.m., where they initially treated two patients.
One was transported to the Foothills Medical Centre in life-threatening condition. The second was transported to another hospital in non-life-threatening condition.
Calgary police were called to the mall at 2:30 p.m. for reports of an assault with a weapon, and found the two injured individuals.
CPS told Global News they have four people in custody.
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Staff Sgt. Lon Brewster told reporters there was no risk to public safety on the Black Friday shopping day.
He said the people involved were associated with two rival groups.
“This is not a random attack. This was two opposing groups that had had some issues with each other that chose to try and settle that within the confines of the mall rather than somewhere else,” Brewster said, noting police believe the incident was not related to shopping at the 907,000 square foot mall.
Witnesses told Global News that two men were chasing after another in an apparent dispute over money.
“The two guys were yelling: ‘Where’s my money?’ and: ‘Where’s my gun?’” Chloe Hargreaves said. “And then the one guy was just walking away saying: ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
“And the guy that was screaming ‘Where’s my money?’ almost bumped into me.”
EMS said they took a third person to hospital in non-life threatening condition later that afternoon and left the mall just after 4 p.m.
“It should concern us all that things like this can happen in broad daylight. But I think we should all just take a little solace that it’s few and far between in public areas like the mall,” the CPS staff sergeant said. “We don’t see it very often.”
Brewster said police investigators will remain on the scene to continue their work and anticipated CPS will remain there into the early evening.
“There’s no risk to the public. They can still come to the mall. They can still feel free to partake in the Black Friday deals,” he said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers.
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