KATY – As stores were filled with shoppers Monday evening before Christmas Day, panic erupted inside Katy Mills mall after shots were fired inside the building, according to authorities.
Deputies responded around 5:17 p.m. after reports of a shooting at the mall.
Officials confirmed there was no active shooter as multiple emergency units secured the area.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez provided several reports on the situation.
Update: it now appears that a shooting may have occurred inside the mall, but not an active scene, more of an isolated incident and two persons involved have fled the scene. Katy PD is lead agency and further updates to come from them. HCSO will assist with
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 24, 2024
1/2 https://t.co/q5fsZRUhj4
The Katy Police Department later posted on X that shots were fired inside Entry 4 of the mall, but that there were no reports of any injuries and the scene has since been secured.
PSA (12.23.2024 @ 6:35 p.m.)
— City of Katy (@cityofkaty) December 24, 2024
Katy Mills Mall Incident:
Shots were fired inside Entry 4 earlier this evening. There have been no reported injuries, & the scene is secure with no active threat.
Please avoid the area and expect travel delays surrounding the mall during this time. pic.twitter.com/7GD7FVVKYM
Speaking after the incident, Katy Interim Police Chief Bryon Woytek said two people had entered the mall through Bass Pro Shops and made it to the common area. At that time, one of the two people fired several shots from a handgun before the two fled the mall together.
It is not known why the suspect fired the shots and whether anyone was targeted, but a glass window and pillar were struck by bullets. Woytek said both spent casings and live rounds were found inside the mall.
“It created a lot of chaos, and it is unknown if that was the reason, this was caused to create chaos, it is too early in the investigation to know,” Woytek said.
Police are still looking over video footage to try and get more information, right now the only description of the suspects is two white or Hispanic males. They appear to be younger adults.
“It appears shots were fired randomly, we don’t think it was any type of disturbance that we know of right now,” Woytek said.
Three entrances were closed off as police investigated. The rest of the mall remained open.
No victims were found and no injuries were reported,