28 August 2023
ABOVE: Raw video of Columbus police evacuating Easton Town Center Sunday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — At least one person was dead and another was injured after a shooting at the Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.
According to a Columbus police dispatcher, the initial call for the incident was received at approximately 6:14 p.m. near the AMC theater and Lululemon store at the shopping center.
A police dispatcher said one shooting victim was taken to Mt. Carmel East hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. A second victim was taken to an unspecified hospital in critical condition.
A statement from Easton Town Center management said as of 7:39 p.m. that the situation was “no longer an active situation.”
“A weapon was fired at Easton at an outside area of the North District at approximately 6:15 p.m.,” the statement read. “At this time, Columbus Police are on site.”
It is not known if any suspects have been taken into custody.
A reporter with Nexstar’s WCMH, Cierra Johnson, who was at the scene when the incident started, said she was evacuated from the AMC Theater by officers carrying rifles.
The shopping center was put on lockdown, meaning no one was allowed in, as shops and other businesses were evacuated.
Also at the scene was news anchor Matt Barnes, who said the entire shopping center was evacuated, with lots of people running without being told what was happening. He said he heard a Columbus police helicopter flying overhead and that crime scene tape was set up near the LEGOLAND store.