20 cars hit by bullets at Crabtree in ‘cowboy-style’ gunfight, 24-year-old arrested

A 24-year-old charged in a weekend shooting inside a Crabtree Valley Mall parking deck faced a judge for the first time on Monday.

In court, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Matt Lively said Jaquez Brown, 24, is facing charges for shooting into a car with a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old inside. At least 20 cars were hit by bullets, Lively said.

Lively said the Saturday afternoon shooting was the result of a fight between rival gangs, describing it as a “cowboy-style gunfight.”

A judge on Monday increased Brown’s bond to $200,000 plus electronic monitoring.

On Saturday around 1:35 p.m., Raleigh police officers responded to multiple shots fired in the parking deck behind the mall on Creedmoor Road.

Police told WRAL News there were no reported injuries, but several vehicles were damaged.

After gunfire was exchanged, police said a suspect drove away from the area, hit another vehicle and kept driving.

Police said witnesses told them several people ran from the scene immediately after the call came in. 

Brown was taken into custody, facing several charges some from outstanding warrants along with a felony charge related to Saturday’s shooting, when police said he fired a gun into cars and businesses.

Among the charges, Brown was charged with discharging a weapon into occupied property, which is a felony.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.

Mallgoers said things felt normal inside the mall when the investigation began.

“It seemed pretty normal,” Alayjah Ottley said. “I’m not even sure if anyone knew about the police cars outside.”

Business never stopped when the shooting happened. Blake Ticknor told WRAL News he was in his store at the time.

“In today’s society these things unfortunately pop up anywhere and everywhere, so it’s frustrating,” Ticknor said. 

Ticknor also praised Crabtree Valley Mall’s security team.

“I can’t say enough about the security and the job they do here to keep everybody protected,” he said. “Never at any time do I feel unsafe. Security is pretty present. They do a great job of managing security and having that presence well known.”  

On Black Friday last year, some Crabtree shoppers were panicked when a noisy, chaotic scene broke out following a loud noise.

The mall remained open on Saturday, but police asked patrons to stay away from the parking deck near Macy’s during their investigation.

Police are asking anyone with information to the investigation to contact them at 919-966-3335 or leave a tip at the Raleigh Crime Stoppers website.