Two shootings at Antioch mall in August, one started over new shoes dispute
According to Antioch Chief of Police Allan Cantando’s police calls for service summary in City Manager Steve Duran’s latest weekly report, there were two incidents of shootings at the Somersville Towne Center in Antioch in early August.
First, on Friday, August 5, 2016 at 5:30 pm officers were dispatched to the Somersville Towne Center on reports of shots being fired near Macy’s. While en-route, numerous callers reported various vehicles fleeing and numerous subjects running. An extensive area check for any witnesses and/or victims met with negative results.
Mall security advised of a possible verbal argument or potential robbery in the area of where the shooting took place. During a canvass of the parking lot, officers located two spent .45 caliber casings in a parking stall near the main entrance. Sears called to report two males had run through their store and into the apartments across the street. Sears believed the two males to be involved in the shooting.
Then, on Saturday, August 6, at 11:21 am APD dispatch received numerous calls of shots being fired at the entrance to the mall. Upon our arrival, we located two different calibers of shell casing in front of the main doors indicating this was a possible exchange of gun fire. The front glass doors had a few holes along with a vehicle owned by a customer. We learned two pairs of males were in the mall and had a dispute over a new shoe that was released at one of the stores.
The males started fighting in the middle of the mall. Security was unable to break up the fight because one of the males in the fight had a gun and a second male standing by the fight also brandished a gun in his waistband. The fight eventually spilled outside where the gunshots were exchanged. One of the males took cover behind an unoccupied vehicle as the male shot back towards the front of the mall. The four suspects all fled the area and no victims have come forward. The investigation is ongoing.
