Suspect In Shooting Near Oxford Valley Mall Remains At Large

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A man involved in a "targeted shooting" at an Oxford Valley Mall bus stop on Thursday night remains at large, police said.

The Middletown Township Police Department said it is seeking a tall black man under the age of 30 who may be from the Trenton, N.J., area in a shooting incident in which there was a relationship between the shooter and the victim.

Middletown Township Detective Steve Forman told Patch Monday that the victim was released from the hospital, but is "not overly cooperative."

"It's kind of frustrating," the detective said. "We are doing as much as we can. We've interviewed a lot of witnesses, but the investigation is moving slowly."

Police from throughout Lower Bucks County, along with the Pennsylvania State Police, responded to the Oxford Valley Mall around 5 p.m. Thursday after a man was shot at the SEPTA bus stop near the JCPenney store.

Forman said the victim ran inside the mall through a loading dock area and ended up near the Annie Ann's store, where he was met by store security. The sight of a man trailing blood through the mall triggered people to think there was an active shooter, and they began flooding the 911 center with calls, police said.

"This was a specifically targeted incident that had nothing to do with the public," Forman said. "It was a retaliatory attack."

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office stated on its Facebook page Friday that the incident triggered "a substantial law enforcement response."

"The Bucks County District Attorney's Office commends the swift and professional actions of our first responders," the statement read. "Their rapid deployment secured the area and ensured immediate attention for those affected."

While the incident was isolated, Forman said he was pleased that the active shooter protocol was successful.

"When a man is walking around bloody, the natural assumption is that he was shot in the mall," Forman said. "At the same time, it was a good experience to go through the active shooter protocol with the clearing of the mall and all the emergency agencies working very well together."