2 People Shot Inside Nordstrom's Store Near Miami

AVENTURA, FL — Two people were shot inside a Nordstrom's department store Friday when when a third person took out a gun and opened fire as horrified store employees and shoppers ran for cover in an affluent suburb of Miami.

The incident happened late Friday morning at Aventura Mall, which recently reopened after being shut down for weeks in response to Florida's coronavirus outbreak. The mall is one of the largest in the United States and is a popular shopping destination for Miami's beach communities.

"There were a total of four individuals that somehow became involved in a verbal altercation that escalated to a physical confrontation," Sergeant Hans Maestre of the Aventura Police Department told reporters outside the mall. "At one point, one of the four took a firearm out and shot two individuals."

Maestre said the two shooting victims were hospitalized. "The two other individuals who are viewed as people of interest were taken into custody brought to the station for questioning," he said.

Maj. Michael Bentolila of the Aventura Police Department said the shooter was not at large.

"There is nobody at large. There is no threat to the community," Bentolila said. Police noted that Nordstrom store security and Aventura officers assigned to the mall responded quickly to the incident.

"This was an argument between four individuals and not related to anything else," Aventura police said. They said no employees or bystanders were injured.

Maestre said one firearm was recovered by police.

The Nordstrom store was shut down after the incident but the rest of the mall was open.