HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was on the scene at the Brandon Mall following a report of a possible shooting on Saturday shortly after 3:30 p.m.
HCSO said it was not an active shooter situation and that the mall was secured.
Officials said once on scene, deputies reviewed surveillance footage and discovered a woman, with a man and two kids, had reached for something in her purse, and it appeared she may have accidentally fired a gun in her bag, striking the countertop at Charleys Cheesesteaks.
"People love to call these accidental shootings. This is not an accident. This is negligence," said Ryan G. Thomas, the co-founder of Warrior Cloud and firearms instructor.
Thomas said he’s trained around 82,000 people in Hillsborough County on properly handling firearms.
"I would guarantee that the person that had the firearm at the mall, they probably did not have the firearm inside of a proper holster," explained Thomas.
At this time, HCSO said no one was injured in this isolated incident, and the mall chose to close for the remainder of the day.
"Every day, our deputies put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and today was no different," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Our agency's dedication and swift response to this incident demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our citizens."
The sheriff's office located the woman involved and said, at this time, there are no charges. The investigation is ongoing.
"The consequences of using a firearm in an inappropriate way are very, very high. You should be willing to invest time, energy, and money to make sure that you know how to use this powerful device in the right way," said Thomas.
