Mall shooting: S'gor cops on hunt for male suspect

Summary

• Cops hunting down male suspect who has a drug-related criminal history.

• Motive of incident still under investigation.

• Police confirm the shopping mall is safe and allowed to operate as usual.

Selangor police are on the hunt for a male suspect involved in a shooting at a shopping mall in Setia Alam last night.

State police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the suspect is a local believed to be in his 30s and has fair skin.

“Police are actively searching to arrest the suspect who also has 11 prior drug-related cases.

“The motive of the incident is still under investigation,” he said in a statement today.

Police believe the suspect arrived at the shopping centre at around 10pm, then approached a male cleaner and released four shots.

He said the victim, a foreign national in his 30s, sustained injuries to his leg and was taken to Shah Alam Hospital.

“In his injured state, the victim ran into the mall for help while the suspect ran to Level P2.

“The suspect then released several more shots that hit a window on the staircase, as well as a sliding door on Level P2, before running away,” said Hussein.

After the shooting, the suspect escaped by stopping a car and forcing the driver at gunpoint to drive him out of the area.

“The suspect then ordered the driver to drop him off by the roadside near the Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), after which the driver lodged a police report,” he said.

Police received seven reports from on-site witnesses, and all of them have had their statements recorded, he added.

‘Confirmed safe’

Bernama reported Shah Alam district police chief Iqbal Ibrahim said the area around the shopping centre has been confirmed safe from threats and allowed to operate as usual.

He said police had reviewed all closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the premises and conducted a “flushing” operation in the surrounding area before confirming that the situation and location were secure.

“After a thorough inspection, we confirm that this area is safe, and the premises will be allowed to operate as usual tomorrow (Feb 9),” he said when met at the scene.

The police forensic unit is also conducting a detailed investigation at the scene, where the incident is believed to have occurred before the premises’ operating hours ended, he added.

Police will issue a full statement once the on-site investigation is completed.

Earlier yesterday, around 10 media personnel who gathered outside the shopping centre were allowed inside under police escort to observe the crime scene up close.

A check found five forensic officers conducting a detailed examination while several police personnel were on guard to monitor the situation.

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