THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TAG: 9512110036
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
One man was shot and seriously injured Sunday following a dispute in a parking lot at Military Circle shopping center, police said.
It did not appear that the incident involved regular mall customers or shoppers.
Police spokesman Larry Hill said the shooting occurred about 5:20 p.m. in a parking area just outside the north entrance of the mall facing Virginia Beach Boulevard.
``Two men were walking in the parking lot and got in conversation with two others in a car,'' Hill said. A dispute developed and shots were fired.
``One victim was struck and he ran inside the mall and collapsed just inside the door,'' Hill said. The man, a 21-year-old from Chesapeake, was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
The victim's name was being withheld until relatives could be notified.
Hill said the other man, who was shot at but escaped injury, told detectives that both people in the car had pulled guns and were shooting. But Hill said that information had not been confirmed.
It was unclear if the four men knew each other before Sunday's incident.
Police were hunting two suspects and have good descriptions of them and their vehicle, Hill said. That information was being withheld Sunday night, however, for ``investigative reasons.''
There were no mall customers in the immediate area at the time of the shooting, Hill said.
Mall officials, sensitive to public concerns about shopper safety - especially during the busiest shopping season - said they were in close consultation with police. They maintained that the incident could have occurred anywhere and could not have been anticipated.
A spokesman also stressed it did not appear that customers were a target in the incident.
``We're working closely with the police department right now to understand exactly what happened,'' said Rick Polley, vice president and general manager of the mall.
``We'll definitely evaluate everything'' to see if the mall can make any improvements in its security, Polley said. ``But I think we have a tremendous security initiative already.''
In addition to its own security force, Military Circle employs off-duty police officers and sheriff's deputies.
There are uniformed and undercover patrols in the mall, supplemented by bicycle and vehicle patrols in the parking lots.
``Over the last four years, our security has been effective and there really hasn't been a major incident,'' Polley said.
In 1991, a dispute between two Lake Taylor High School students with links to a gang resulted in the most serious act of violence at the mall in recent years.
Two 17-year-olds were involved in the shootout, which left one of them injured and sent scores of shoppers scurrying for cover.
KEYWORDS: SHOOTING MILITARY CIRCLE MALL INJURIES by CNB