Fredericton police say they have identified a suspect after handgun drawn at Regent Mall

The Fredericton Police Force has identified a suspect and several persons of interest connected to a weapons complaint at the Regent Mall on Saturday, but no arrests have been made.

Regent Mall is open normal hours on Sunday and police say they have wrapped up their investigation at the scene.

Police say they responded to the mall at 4 p.m. on Saturday after calls about an altercation and a weapon being drawn.

Insp. Kimberly Quartermain said the incident happened outside the building, before the suspect ran into the mall.

“By viewing video surveillance, we determined that our suspect, a male, had left the Regent Mall and headed towards Kent on Bishops Drive,” Quartermain said.

Quartermain says someone nearby saw a handgun drawn and called police. Fredericton police didn’t receive any other reports of a handgun.

There were no injuries and no shots fired.

“At no time was this an active shooter situation,” Quartermain said.

The Fredericton Police Force’s emergency response team swept the building for several hours Saturday evening before surveillance video showed the suspect had left the mall before police had arrived.

“The video did reveal that there was a dispute between individuals and we’re identifying them and determining who is involved and who was a witness and if there are any possible victims,” Quartermain said.

Some shoppers and employees were asked to shelter in place for several hours while the mall was searched.

“The mall and the immediate area have been evacuated while we investigate,” said a tweet from the police force at 4:47 p.m. on Saturday. “Please avoid the area.”

Around 5 p.m., there were multiple police cars at the scene, with one blocking the entrance. Officers could be seen with long guns drawn.

By 7:30 p.m. most police officers outside the building had left the scene.