Lots of Somalis in St Cloud now.
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ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Several people were injured and a suspect died Saturday night after a stabbing attack at a Minnesota mall, authorities say.
St. Cloud Police Sgt. Jason Burke said multiple victims were taken to the hospital.
Burke later confirmed that a suspect was killed and that his body was still inside the Crossroads Center mall. Burke said an undetermined number of people still remained inside the mall late Saturday, and that the investigation is ongoing.
“The individual we believe to be responsible for the victims’ stab wounds is currently deceased inside the mall,” Burke said in a statement.
St. Cloud Hospital spokesman Chris Nelson told the Times that eight patients were brought to the hospital; seven had injuries that were not life-threatening; and one was admitted.
Danny Carranza of Willmar was with his children at the play area near Macy's when the chaos started.
"People came running around the corner and I freaked out because I thought it was a terrorist attack or something because I saw a lot of people, so I grabbed my kids," he said.
"I ran as much as I could and I heard someone yell 'Stop! Stop!' As soon as the door shut I heard gunshots."
He said he and his children were released from lockdown by 11:20 p.m., but his wife was still inside the mall.
Carranza said police were checking identification and taking names of everyone as they were released from the mall.
Harley and Tama Exsted of Isle were in the mall when the incident occurred.
"All of a sudden I heard pop pop pop," Harley said. "I thought someone tipped over a shelf. All of a sudden these people started running. I just saw everybody running our way."
The couple escaped unharmed and said they helped another woman who was running from the scene to her car.
Worried relatives of shoppers have gathered near the scene.
Anthony Bellow, 18, who recently moved to St. Cloud from Columbus, Ohio, went to the mall to visit his brother Dominic, 21, who works at Target.
Bellow said his brother, whose shift was about a half-hour from ending when the violence broke out, sent him a text from inside Target that said there was a shooter in the mall.
"My brother and I have always been really close. I want to make sure he's OK and give him a hug," Bellow said.
Adonis Samuels, 42, St. Cloud, was also outside the mall where his wife, Roxanne, is a manager at Clinique at Macy's.
"She called me on the phone and told me she was hiding under the counter with a customer," Samuels said.
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