OCALA, Fla. – The Ocala Police Department posted on its Facebook Tuesday to let residents know that despite the rumors, there was no shooting at Paddock Mall.
Police said a call came in around 12:20 p.m. about a man threatening to shoot a security guard after he was caught attempting to shoplift from multiple stores.
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The man fled the mall property but was located nearby and at that point, officers said they determined that he didn’t have a gun.
“When 911 was called and someone reported that the person ‘threatened to shoot’ it automatically codes the call as a shooting whether or not there was actually shots fired. This is so responding officers can anticipate possible threats of danger during the call,” the post read.
Police clarified that shots were never fired and a weapon was never displayed.