NOTE: Live coverage of the press conference is scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. in the player above
Police are expected to deliver an update Friday evening after a shooting took place inside a mall in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
A press conference is scheduled to take place at 5:45 p.m., according to the Wauwatosa Police Department. (Watch live in the player above)
A shooting incident sparked a heavy police response at the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa Friday afternoon.
The FBI Milwaukee office confirmed it was responding to "shooting incident" at the mall.
Just after 4:30 p.m., Wauwatosa police confirmed an active investigation was underway and the mall had been closed. Armed officers, including FBI agents and SWAT members, could be seen in areas outside the mall.
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride said in a statement to the Associated Press that a suspect remains at large after the shooting, but when reached by NBC 5, McBride said he couldn't provide information.
An employee at the mall reached by phone could not provide details on what happened.
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A witness who works inside the mall reported hearing shots fired.
"I work at Finish Line and I see... I heard a shot fired, but at first we didn't know it was a shot," said Bianca Delos Reyes. "And then everyone was looking around... and then I saw a person fall."
Delos Reyes, who lives in Chicago but was working at the Finish Line inside Macy's to help out, reported hearing several shots as she and others ran from the building.
"As soon as I got to the parking lot, a lot of people were running right behind me," she said. "I tucked in between cars. We were all just in between cars trying to figure out what was happening. I swear it was more than 10 shots."
Macy's said in a statement it was working with the police department on the investigation.
"We are saddened about the incident tonight at Mayfair Mall, as the safety of Macy’s customers and employees is our top priority," the company said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Wauwatosa Police Department and local officials on this investigation and defer all comments about the case to local authorities per policy."
Details on what exactly happened or if any injuries were reported weren't immediately clear.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner tweeted they were not responding to the mall, indicating there likely have been no reports of fatalities at the scene.
Milwaukee's transit system said buses that normally stop at the mall "are currently unable to enter the property due to an emergency incident."
The Mayfair Mall was the site of a February shooting in which a city police officer, Joseph Mensah, shot and killed Alvin Cole, a Black 17-year-old. Police said Cole was fleeing from police; Mensah, who is also Black, said he shot Cole because Cole pointed a gun at him. The mall was the target of sporadic protests over several months in the wake of the shooting.
The Milwaukee County district attorney declined to file charges against Mensah, but the city this week agreed to a separation agreement in which Mensah will be paid at least $130,000 to leave the force.
Check back for more on this developing story.
