Yellowknife evacuees were on lockdown following a reported shooting that took place at West Edmonton Mall on Monday evening. Edmonton Police Service had issued a warning just after 8 p.m. requesting that ‘all pedestrians and motorists stay away at the mall and the immediate area as police report multiple reports of a shooting’.
Edmonton Police later confirmed three people had been seriously wounded and the shooter was taken into custody.
Heather Kimmins, a Yellowknife evacuee, told NNSL Media that she was with about eight to 10 other NWT residents during the wildfire evacuation when the incident took place near Scotiabank Theatre.
“The shooter occurred around the theatre, which is unfortunately where we parked,” she explained.
“When the alarm went off it was at around 8 p.m. and we had thought it was just letting everyone know that the mall was to close in an hour. But the alarm never stopped and the employees started moving very fast to pull on tables and close the doors. That’s when we realized what was going on and that it wasn’t a drill.”
Kimmins added that she had been trying to get away from the stress of being evacuated from the wildfire in Yellowknife.
“We had come to the mall to enjoy some food and not think about what’s going on at home and just to be all together,” she said. “We are all struggling emotionally and financially at this point. This definitely only adds to our stress.”
Several Facebook posts by Yellowknifers were made by residents following the incident on Monday night.
Trevor Sinclair noted that he “was safely in lockdown” at the Old Spaghetti Factory with his family but did not want to elaborate on the situation when reached by NNSL Media. “All I can say is my family is in lockdown in a restaurant,” he said. “There are other NWT residents present. We are safe.”
Mel Leonard stated that he was in the midst of heading to Whitecourt with his family when he saw first responders attending the scene.
“Minutes after leaving the West Edmonton Mall, we were (passed) by a police swat car heading towards the mall responding to an active shooter and the mall is in lockdown,” he said.