ARLINGTON, Texas — Four teenagers have been arrested in connection to a fight and subsequent shooting that injured two at the Parks Mall at Arlington on Thursday night, the Arlington Police Department says.
According to police, three of the arrested individuals were at the mall when they got into a verbal argument with the fourth over one of them speaking to another's girlfriend.
Their interaction became physical as the four teenagers were riding the mall escalator near the ice skating rink located on the mall's first level, according to police. During that altercation, police said, one of the individuals pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the opposing group, and hit one of them with the weapon -- but did not appear to fire any bullets.
But, police said, the gun was then accidentally dropped on the ground, leading one of the other individuals to pick up the weapon and fire it at the teenager who first pulled it out.
That teenager, identified by police as 17-year-old Careco Harris, was struck in the arm by the gunfire, according to a press release sent out by APD. A 38-year-old woman nearby the altercation but otherwise not involved in it was also struck in the leg by the gunshots, police said.
Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries, APD said.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, officers responded to the scene and transported Harris and the woman to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
No additional injuries were reported.
After responding to the scene, APD said, officers spoke to witnesses and reviewed security footage and found two of the involved individuals -- identified as 19-year-old Damius Lindon and 19-year-old Jaccques Jacques -- near one of the mall exits. The pair was detained, arrested, and booked into Arlington City Jail, each on one count of fighting in public.
Police said the fourth individual, identified by police as 18-year-old Kaiden Jackson, left the mall after allegedly shooting Harris. But police said they were able to identify him, located him at his parents’ home in Mansfield, and take him into custody without incident. Jackson was booked into Arlington City Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Once released from the hospital, police said Harris will also be booked into Arlington City Jail and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
In the wake of the shooting, the mall was evacuated as officers secured the building and looked through evidence.
Dozens of shoppers and moviegoers posted videos of the aftermath on social media, as mall workers posted photos of them hunkering down in storage closets and break rooms.
An employee with the Parks Mall's AMC movie theatre spoke to WFAA about tension that followed the shooting, as mall alarms blared and authorities instructed that the mall be evacuated.
"Man, it was pretty scary," the employee said. "Everyone was shook. We got told to immediately shut the metal [gate] and just to barricade the entire place to make sure everyone was safe. We had everyone exit through the stairwell over there, just to make sure everything was empty."
Police said they expect the mall to reopen and operate its normal business hours on Friday -- with an increased Arlington Police Department presence to keep the retail center secure.
"I'm not too sure about refunds, though," the AMC employee said of people who were evacuated from the mall and its movie theater on Thursday night. "That's the question that everyone's been asking."
Last year, five juveniles were arrested after police said a fight involving 20 to 30 people broke out at Parks Mall. In the immediate aftermath of that disturbance, police took to social media to dispel rumors that there had been a shooting at the mall.
Also in the wake of that 2022 incident, the mall instituted a weekend curfew system in which any mall guest under 18 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone at least 21 years old after 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.