Rocky Mount police shot at a person they said was linked to a bank robbery earlier in the day in Zebulon.
That person was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Shots rang out about 4:15 p.m., according to people who spoke to WRAL News. Shoppers said they heard multiple gunshots.
“I heard a lot of screaming and running,” one shopper told WRAL News. “I thought somebody was fighting. And then they said it was shooting.”
He said he and other shoppers were told to go to the dressing rooms while the store was on lockdown for about 15 minutes.
Police said by 5:30 p.m. the scene was secured and there was no further threat to the public. No officers were injured in the shooting.
Police ask that people avoid the shopping center in the 700 block of Sutter’s Creek Boulevard.
They asked that anyone with information contact the Rocky Mount Police Department at 252-972-1411 or submit an anonymous text tip by texting the keyword “RMPD” and your message/tip to 847411.
The State Bureau of Investigation will look into the case, standard procedure when an officer fires a weapon.