Shopping mall shooting leaves mother dead, daughter wounded

One woman was killed and her daughter was injured in a shooting at a Zwijndrecht shopping center Saturday afternoon. The two victims were shot by a man they knew in a possible case of domestic violence, police said. The incident took place in front of many witnesses as the mall was crowded with many weekend shoppers.

The women were running an errand when the gunshots rang out, witnesses told local media. ”Two women were shot at, one of them was taken to hospital by emergency transport. Unfortunately, help was of no avail for the other,” police said in a brief statement on social media. The ages of the victims were not released.

The shooting happened in the parking lot of the Walburg mall on Hof van Holland. Police and ambulances were sent to the scene at about 1:50 p.m., followed by a trauma team dispatched by helicopter, emergency services records showed.

The gunman fled the scene before police arrived. That person is believed to have acted alone, and drove away from the area. A description of the suspect was not released, and his relationship to the victims was not disclosed.

An investigation was launched soon after first responders arrived. The parking lot was shut down and authorities quickly rounded up witnesses, according to local broadcaster Rijnmond. Police were looking around Zwijndrecht and neighboring Dordrecht for the perpetrator, including on the highways in the area.

People who previously parked their cars in the area that was later cordoned off by police were not going to be allowed to move their cars until the crime scene was released, Rijnmond reported. The Aldi and Blokker stores closed their doors in the aftermath, as well.