The suspected shooter who left five people wounded at a Connecticut mall has been identified as a teenager who was already out on bond for unrelated charges, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Tajuan Washington, 19, opened fire after confronting a man he "had a history" of "beef" with at the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury on Tuesday afternoon, shooting the man along with four women who were with him, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr., said at a press conference. Both the mayor and law enforcement said that the incident, which took place near the main entrance of the 1.1 million square-foot mall, was a targeted attack and not a random shooting.
Suspect Was Arrested Earlier
"This was a one-off incident," the mayor said, adding that the mall was safe for shopping. Washington was out on a $25,000 bond after his October arrest for speeding at 105 miles per hour with his headlights off on Interstate 84 East, according to Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo.
On Wednesday, Washington was charged with five counts of first-degree assault, along with multiple weapons-related offenses, the chief added.
He is currently being held on a $2 million bond and is set to appear in court later today.
According to the mayor, three of the five shooting victims had already been discharged from the hospital by Tuesday morning, while the remaining two were in stable condition — including one woman who sustained a gunshot wound to her spine.
Gunfire rang out at the Brass Mill Center shortly before 4:40 p.m. at the mall on Tuesday.
One person was heard shouting, "He shot me," while another victim lying on the floor cried out, "I can't move. I can't move. Somebody help me."
Fahd Syed told the CT Post that his son, who was working at the mall during the shooting, saw one of the wounded victims on the ground calling for help.
However, Syed said his son chose not to help the injured woman "because he didn't know if he was going to get shot himself."
Chaotic Scene After Shooting
When officers arrived on the scene, they found five people with gunshot wounds. According to Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo, all of the victims were adults over the age of 18, and the severity of their injuries varied.
According to a witness who spoke to WFSB, Washington appeared to be looking for someone inside the JCPenney store before opening fire.
"It was crazy and I tried to tell everybody to get out of there," Jayvon Turner recounted. "It was really emotional and crazy."
Police are actively continuing their investigation into the shooting, which Spagnolo said occurred in a main section of the mall.
Police said that all the victims were between the ages of 18 and their mid-20s.
Officials are still working to determine the underlying cause of the conflict between Washington and the male victim.
