INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three people were injured in a shooting inside an Indianapolis shopping mall Wednesday night when a dispute turned violent and gunfire also struck bystanders, a police commander said. 
 
 Police stand outside of the entrance at the Washington Square Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis police responded to a report of multiple people shot at the shopping mall.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Officers enter a Target at the Washington Square Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis police responded to a report of multiple people shot at the shopping mall. (AP Photo/Darron... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police stand outside of the entrance at the Washington Square Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis police responded to a report of multiple people shot at the shopping mall.... (Associated Press) 
 
 All three of the victims were transported to hospitals and one was in serious condition but expected to survive, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief of Operations Brian Mahone said. The other two did not have life-threatening injuries, he said. 
 
 The suspect was not in custody, he told reporters at the scene outside the Washington Square Mall on the city's far east side. 
 
 The gunman went to the mall, encountered one of the victims and the two had words before the shooting started, Mahone said, 
 
 "This is not a random act and it looks like the suspect and the victim knew each other," he said. 
 
 The other two people injured were nearby when the gunman opened fire, Mahone said. 
 
 The victims were two men and a woman, all young adults, he said. 
 
 The location of the shooting in a mall was a coincidence, he said. The victim and gunman could have encountered each other anywhere, Mahone said. 
 
 "This could have been a mall, a park, a gas station," he said. 
 
 A witness, Jacob Laffey, told WISH-TV he was inside the mall's Target store when he heard 10 or 11 shots and saw people running. ||||| No one is in custody at this time, police say. 
 
 Buy Photo The scene of a reported shooting on Wednesday night at Washington Square Mall in Indianapolis. (Photo: Michael Anthony Adams / The Star)Buy Photo 
 
 Patricia Reason hadn't been in Target five minutes when she heard gunfire. 
 
 She was in the back of the retail store, in the clothing section picking out a shirt, when she heard several shots coming from somewhere near the entrance. 
 
 "I knew immediately what it was," said Reason, 57. "Someone started screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.' Then it was just deafeningly quiet." 
 
 The Target, which is connected to Washington Square Mall, was where police said they found two gunshot victims who had been bystanders to a shooting at the southwest entrance of the mall. 
 
 Police said three people were shot and injured at the mall Wednesday night when a suspect opened fire on a man he knew. On Thursday, investigators said they were searching for two suspects, both men between the ages of 19 and 20 years old. 
 
 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded around 6:30 p.m. on reports of shots fired in the mall. 
 
 "I hid in the fitting room," Reason said. "I called 911 right away as soon as I got in the fitting room." 
 
 Police think a man entered the mall, approached a man he knew and shot him, said IMPD Deputy Chief of Operations Brian Mahone. 
 
 "This is not a random act," Mahone said. "It looks like the suspect and the victim knew each other." 
 
 Two males, 25 and 26 years old, and one 20-year-old female were wounded. The 26-year-old remained in serious condition at IU Methodist Hospital Thursday, police said. 
 
 The other two victims were transported to Eskenazi Hospital and have since been released, said police. 
 
 "This (shooting) could've been anywhere these two individuals would've run into each other," Mahone said. 
 
 Other details about the incident, including how many shots were fired and a description of the suspect, remained scarce. Police did confirm that the suspect did not use a "long gun" or AK-47, as other media outlets were reporting. 
 
 Workers from @Burlington Coat Factory describe what they heard during the shooting. pic.twitter.com/3ka0ayZHJz — MichaelAnthonyAdams (@MichaelAdams317) October 29, 2015 
 
 The mall is at the intersection of Mitthoefer Road and Washington Street on the Far Eastside. 
 
 Adrian Lewis, the mall's property manager, said in a statement: 
 
 
 
 We can confirm that a shooting occurred this evening at the Washington Square mall. The mall's security staff and Indianapolis Police Department responded quickly. The mall is cooperating fully with the police's investigation. 
 
 
 
 The safety of our shoppers and employees is our top priority. As part of our commitment to promoting a safe shopping environment, we maintain a highly-trained staff that is prepared to respond to a variety of emergency situations. We take numerous proactive measures and coordinate very closely with local officials as a best practice. 
 
 
 
 Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. 
 
 Washington Square, which opened in 1974, is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. Among the mall’s tenants are Dick’s Sporting Goods and the AMC Showplace 12 theater. 
 
 Buy Photo Buy Photo Buy Photo Buy Photo Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: Replay 
 
 
 
 
 
 Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions Last SlideNext Slide 
 
 "You hear about this stuff all the time, these (shootings) happening," Reason said. "People are just chaotic and it's like anarchy. It's just so scary...Thank the lord it wasn't worse than it was." 
 
 This story will be updated. For the latest updates on this story, follow IndyStar reporter Michael Anthony Adams on Twitter. 
 
 Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/1MjvFRO ||||| Three people were injured in a shooting inside Washington Square Mall on the east side of Indianapolis Wednesday evening. 
 
 The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. in a corridor of the mall near the Target store. Investigators say a male suspect came into the mall and had words with a man he knew, then shot him. Two other victims were wounded by ricochet fire. 
 
 Police say the suspect and his intended target knew each other and had some sort of issue, but what that was, investigators aren't saying. 
 
 "We have a pretty good idea that these two had something going on," said IMPD Chief Brian Mahone. 
 
 While police aren't saying what the issue was between the suspect and victim, they will say that none of it is related to recent high-profile police takedowns of drug suspects. 
 
 "This could have been a mall, a park, the gas station," Mahone said. "This could have been anywhere that these two individuals ran into each other." 
 
 This time, though, it was at a mall with innocent bystanders under gunfire. 
 
 "You should be able to be safe anywhere you go," said witness Joshua Matthews. 
 
 Police say the three victims, two men and a woman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, though one of the male victims was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Later Wednesday, police said the victims were all stable. 
 
 RELATED: Customers, workers describe chaos during mall shooting 
 
 A suspect wearing dark clothing reportedly fled the scene to the west. Police say there may be a second suspect, but have not released any suspect descriptions. Police hope the victims of the shooting will be able to help them identify the shooter. 
 
 Officers say the parties involved in the shooting were all "young adults" and that no juveniles were involved in the incident. 
 
 Witnesses described a chaotic scene inside the mall on social media. 
 
 "People screaming. Parents trying to find their children. It was scary" - witness to Washington Square Mall shooting pic.twitter.com/92cpP31qoG — Jennie Runevitch (@JennieWTHR) October 29, 2015 
 
 Never going to Washington square again.. Idk how someone can just pull a gun out and shoot someone. Scariest moment of my life — Brooke Bell (@bell_brooke) October 28, 2015 
 
 Matthews told Eyewitness News he was inside the mall with his three-year-old son when the suspect started shooting. 
 
 "Bullets don't have a name. So it could get anybody," said Joshua Mathews. 
 
 Matthews says as gunfire rang out, he picked up his son and started running. 
 
 "He just started crying and I just had to get him to safety," explained Matthews. 
 
 He said he saw at least two of the victims fall to the ground. 
 
 "You could tell they were shot. So didn't nobody have time to go back and see if they're okay, because when you hear a gunshot, your first instinct is to run," said Matthews. 
 
 So that's what Matthews did, running through nearby Burlington Coat Factory and finally outside to his car. 
 
 Anyone with information about the shooting or possible suspect is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS or text "INDYCS" plus tip information to 274637 (CRIMES). All tips are considered anonymous. 
 
 Mall statement 
 
 Wednesday night, Washington Square Mall property manager Adrian T. Lewis Sr. issued the following statement: 
 
 We can confirm that a shooting occurred this evening at the Washington Square mall. The mall's security staff and Indianapolis Police Department responded quickly. The mall is cooperating fully with the police's investigation. 
 
 The safety of our shoppers and employees is our top priority. As part of our commitment to promoting a safe shopping environment, we maintain a highly-trained staff that is prepared to respond to a variety of emergency situations. We take numerous proactive measures and coordinate very closely with local officials as a best practice. 
 
 Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time.
– A gunman shot three people and terrified hundreds more when he opened fire at a mall in Indianapolis Wednesday night. Police believe the incident was the result of a dispute between the gunman and one of the victims, not a random mass shooting, reports the Indianapolis Star. Police say the suspect entered the Washington Square Mall and opened fire on a man he apparently knew near a Target store. Two women, apparently bystanders, were also shot and all three victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. "This could have been a mall, a park, the gas station," a police spokesman says, per the AP. "This could have been anywhere that these two individuals ran into each other." The gunman has not been apprehended and police have not released a description of him or a possible second suspect. Witnesses tell WTHR that there was chaos in the mall after 10 or 11 shots rang out. A man who ran to safety with his 3-year-old son says he saw two of the victims fall to the ground. "You could tell they were shot. So didn't nobody have time to go back and see if they're okay, because when you hear a gunshot, your first instinct is to run," he says. A woman who had entered Target minutes before the shooting tells the Star that after the shots, "someone started screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.' Then it was just deafeningly quiet."