No suspects in custody after lockdown at North Carolina mall

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Saturday, August 13, 2016
ABC11 talks to eyewitness at Crabtree Valley Mall
An eyewitness said he was 10 or 15 feet from the incident

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Police said they are still investigating after Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh was placed on lockdown Saturday afternoon. Police responded to reports of a shooting around 2:30 p.m.

Officials held a press conference just before 6 p.m. and said they had not determined if there was a shooter, and no one was in custody.

WATCH: Raleigh police, EMS give press conference after lockdown at Crabtree

Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown spoke at a news conference

Authorities said they were working to get people back to their cars.

Federal authorities and ATF officials are helping in the investigation. Our crew at the scene said police announced to the crowd shortly after 4:30 p.m. that no one had been shot in the mall.

WATCH: Loud 'bang' captured on video

A loud bang was captured on video from the mall

Police and EMS officials said 8 people with ages ranging from 10 - 70 were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries related to crowds fleeing the mall. No gunshot wounds were reported.

Viewers sent in video to ABC11 of police releasing shoppers and employees from stores inside the mall. Crowds of people were being escorted out.

An ABC11 Eyewitness sent in video of them being released from the mall after the lockdown

Multiple eyewitnesses said there was a shooting in the mall's food court

Antonio Richardson, who was in the mall at the time, told the Associated Press he was standing at the entrance to a clothing store Saturday afternoon when he saw two men who appeared to be in their early 20s arguing in the food court.

He says he saw one of them pull out a gun and begin shooting. As he was running away, he says he heard as many as four shots in all.

Police said they have not found anyone with gunshot wounds, but there are reports of trampling injuries due to crowds fleeing.

PHOTOS: Crabtree Valley Mall after reports of shots fired

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Pictures from the scene at Crabtree Valley Mall after reports of shots fired
Eyewitness photo

ABC11 talked to Mark Rush, an eyewitness who said he was only 10 or 15 feet from the incident. He said he heard about 5 or 6 shots as he was walking out of a cell phone accessory store. He was with his family and said that "it was probably the scariest thing he went through in his life." He grabbed his stroller and his family and ran out of the mall right after it happened.

WATCH: Eyewitness describes huge crowds of people leaving mall

An eyewitness said huge crowds fled the mall after the shooting

Other eyewitnesses said they had to run out of the mall as well. ABC11 spoke to a woman who was in the food court when the shooting happened. She said they heard "something pop" and then "pandemonium broke out." She said people were running over tables and chairs to get out of the mall.

WATCH: Elaina Athens gives live report from Crabtree Valley Mall

ABC11's Elaina Athens on scene after talking to eyewitnesses

The eyewitness in the food court said she "played dead" with her kids and then someone urged her to get out.

Another eyewitness, Dan Fahey, said he was eating with his wife at P.F. Chang's when he saw a huge "throng of people" leaving the mall, "running at full speed."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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