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Teen charged after Hattiesburg mall shooting

By Rachel Hernandez Mar 5, 2023 | 11:13 AM

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – A 16-year-old girl is behind bars following a shooting that left two people injured at Turtle Creek Mall in Hattiesburg.

The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Police reported that one person went to a hospital for a gunshot wound and another person was injured by people running in the mall.

Officials with the Hattiesburg Police Department (HPD) said a 16-year-old girl was turned into law enforcement just before 8:00 p.m. the same evening. She was charged as an adult with four counts of aggravated assault. She may face more charges as the investigation continues.

HPD officials said the 18-year-old who sought treatment for a gunshot wound will also be charged when he’s released from the hospital.

Investigators said the two are known acquaintances and that the shooting was an isolated incident.

One shopper who was at the mall at the time of the shooting said he’s never coming back.

“When it first started happening, we were in the food court. We heard one shot. We looked at each other and then the second shot. My friend just hit the floor. Then we heard a series of probably eight shots after that. Then it was just people running, you know, just running out of the food court and everywhere. We just got down on the floor because that’s what we’ve always been taught. We didn’t know if it was a random shooting or if it was just an altercation or what. We just stayed there until it was quiet and then it cleared out. They started coming back in looking for family members. It was just pandemonium there for a little while. Just chaos,” said Jamie Trichell.