GLENDALE, Ariz. — The 4-year-old boy injured by gunfire Wednesday afternoon at Glendale's Tanger Outlets is still in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the hospital, officials said Thursday.
Glendale police have offered more details regarding the incident that resulted in the young boy and his 27-year-old mother sustaining gunshot wounds during a fight between three teenagers.
The mother and son were shopping at the mall with a 17-year-old boy when a fight broke out between the 17-year-old and two other teens ages 15 and 16.
Police said the 17-year-old boy pulled out a handgun and began shooting at the other teens. The 15-year-old, who also was armed with a handgun, shot back.
Stores at the Tanger Outlets were quickly placed on lockdown as police responded to the scene and treated the wounded mother and son.
People who called 911 are heard in audio released by the Glendale Police Department saying how they heard the shooting, and say it happened in the center of the mall area.
One of the callers describes seeing the 4-year-old boy that was shot, and an officer helping him.
Police said they’re not exactly sure what led to the teens firing at one another, or how they ended up with handguns in the first place.
Glendale police said their investigators do not believe this situation to be gang-related. No charges have been filed yet, however, Officer Tiffany Ngalula with Glendale police said a majority of what those involved could face would be felony charges.
“We have two juveniles with handguns causing a shooting and really creating mass chaos and trauma for our community,” Ngalula said.
Ngalula said with the four people still in the hospital, it could take some time to file charges as investigators continue piecing together what happened.
Police said the 4-year-old boy is currently in critical condition and the other injured parties appear to be stable.
Police said the shooting was an isolated incident and did not involve an "active shooter." Glendale officers will continue investigating the incident in the coming days to determine how and why the fight broke out.
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