Witnesses: Man pulled a gun out during Southpoint Mall food court fight

Officials with the Streets at Southpoint confirm there was another incident at the mall Wednesday night but would not release any further details.

Posted 5:46 p.m. Dec 9, 2021 — Updated 12:39 a.m. Dec 10, 2021

Adam Owens

, WRAL anchor/reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — Officials with the Streets at Southpoint confirm there was another fight at the mall food court Wednesday night but would not release any further details.

A fight broke out between two groups of people around 6:30 that created "another rush of people attempting to leave the mall," a witness told WRAL News.

Mall officials said that there was a physical altercation in the food court, but said it was "contained and diffused quickly without disruption to the shopping center."

One witness, who did not want to be identified, said two men were attacked by another group of people.

"He started getting punched in the back of the head," the witness told WRAL News.

Several more people started attacking the man, kicking and punching him in the face, he said. Officials said one person was transported to a local hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.

One of the attackers was "waving a gun around." That's when everyone started running away from the food court, the witness said. Mall officials could not confirm this tip and did not say if a weapon was involved in the fight.

Durham police said in a statement that a wallet and handgun were stolen from one person involved in the confrontation.

"All of them run away, leaving the one guy on the ground, and he is just unconscious and then there is ammunition all over, sprinkled all over the ground," the witness said.

Police said at "no point during the incident were any shots fired."

Keanna Gillis, an employee at the mall, said that management needs to address safety issues "before it gets worse."

'We have to get things under control:' Concerns over gun violence linger as Streets at Southpoint reopens

"Do I need to think about where I need to work now? I definitely feel like there needs to be a little more protection," she said.

Mall officials said they could not "publicly discuss" any new safety measures they are putting in place because it could "hurt their effectiveness."

Durham police did not say if they had any possible suspects or if they would be pressing charges.

The mall has been the site of two previous incidents that resulted in a rush for the exits. On Black Friday, the mall was evacuated after an exchange of gunfire and merchants lost a full evening of revenue.

In October, a large fight broke out in the food court and shoppers fled the area thinking there was a gunshot. Instead, police said people likely heard a "broomstick hitting a table."

The Black Friday shooting involved a person selling jewelry who thought he was being robbed. Both the seller and one of would-be buyers pulled weapons and fired at each other. Three people were wounded, including a 10-year-old girl.