Man dead after shooting at Columbia Mall in Howard County

BALTIMORE – Police say a man is dead after a shooting at Columbia Mall in Howard County.

Authorities said the shooting occurred during an altercation in the mall’s food court.

Police said there was “no evidence” of an active shooter.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball commented on the incident: “I am aware of the current situation at the Mall in Columbia. Our Howard County Police Department is actively investigating and will provide updates as information becomes available.”

Sherry Llewellyn, director of public affairs for the Howard County Police Department, provided further details in a press conference following the incident.

Police said they responded to a call about 6:10 a.m. that there had been shots fired in the food court. When officers arrived, they found a male victim dead.

“We do not believe this was a random incident and we believe the victim was targeted. We have no information about a previous relationship between the two, but our preliminary evidence indicates this was not a random incident,” Llewellyn said.

There were no other casualties in the shooting.

Authorities did not release the name of the suspect or the male victim.