Shoppers reported hearing a gunshot inside the Neiman Marcus store at Lenox Square around 6 p.m. Saturday evening, according to Atlanta police. Investigators now say the incident was an accident and they don’t believe anyone was struck.
“The preliminary investigation indicates there may have been a dispute occurring between two individuals when witnesses report hearing a shot fired,” Sgt. John Chafee said in an emailed statement.
In an updated statement, Chafee reported: “However, officers have uncovered additional information showing a male was walking through the store and adjusting his pants when the firearm he had in his waistband discharged. It appears the shot was accidental and no one was injured by the bullet.
“The male ran from the scene and has not been located. Officers continue the investigation and are working to identify the man.”
The incident was the latest involving gunfire inside the Buckhead mall. During the past year, shots have been reported seven times both inside and outside of the mall.
Most recently, investigators believe a fight inside the newly opened Apple store inside Lenox Square escalated to gunfire on Nov. 20, sending one man to the hospital.
Officers responded to a person shot call and found a man with a gunshot wound to his buttocks inside the store around 3 p.m. The store had just opened after relocating from another location within the mall.
Bullets from the shooting went as far as shattering the window of a MARTA bus stop across the shopping plaza’s parking lot. Investigators are searching for suspects.
And on Oct. 16, a man being robbed at the cash register inside the Lenox Neiman Marcus pulled a gun and fired shots, according to Atlanta police.
Then, the man helped identify two of the people who tried to rob him, according to Officer TaSheena Brown. That’s when investigators realized the robbery victim was wanted for a prior crime.
Three people, including the alleged victim, were arrested and charged after the incident.
ADA WOOD / ADA.WOOD@AJC.COM
ADA WOOD / ADA.WOOD@AJC.COM
In March, a Tennessee man was killed after a dispute over a parking space, according to police. Thuan Nguyen, 31, died at the scene after being shot in the head.
Four days after the incident, Ricky James Lafargue was charged with Nguyen’s murder. But he eluded capture until November when he was arrested in New York.
In recent months, police and management at the mall have boosted security in an effort to stop the crimes. APD has a mini-precinct inside the mall.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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