New details were released Monday in connection with the July 3 shooting inside the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Massachusetts, that injured a teen bystander.
Jose Rodriguez, 21, of Boston, was ordered held without bail Monday on assault to murder, child endangerment and firearms charges pending a dangerousness hearing on Friday.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros and Deputy Police Chief Michael Want held a news conference Monday afternoon saying they met with the general manager of the mall to discuss additional security enhancements following the incident.
Neither Kokoros or Want provided specific details on what new measures were going to be implemented but said changes will be happening as soon as possible.
"We don't want to give criminals our game plan here," Kokoros said. "We WILL enhance our security here at the South Shore Plaza. "There will be many improvements that you may or may not see, but will be there to protect the public while they're shopping."
Friday's shooting marked the second one at the South Plaza in three years — prompting the enhanced security measures.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
"We are committed to continuing to work together to enhance existing infrastructure at the mall and ensure the proper precautions are in place," Kokoros said.
Officers swarmed the mall after receiving reports of shots fired shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Court documents released Monday described the chaotic scene inside the mall. An officer who was in the parking lot outside at the time of the shooting said he entered "as panicked crowds exited." Upon entering, he said he saw blood and broken glass on the second floor of Nordstrom.
Eyewitness accounts said two women were in line at the Expressions shoe store when a man, later identified as Rodriguez, walked up to one of them and asked one of the women if she was associated with the Heath Street gang in Boston. When she didn't answer, he allegedly punched the woman in the face. A fight then broke out between two groups of people and Rodriguez allegedly pulled out a gun and fired several shots.
Police said the woman later admitted that she was associated with the Heath Street gang.
A 15-year-old girl was shot during the incident and was taken to a nearby hospital. According to police, the teen was not involved in the incident. Her injuries were not life-threatening. Court documents said she broke her right hand as a result of being shot and was also grazed in the chest by a bullet.
In the aftermath of the fight and subsequent shooting, police said videos began circulating on social media showing the fight and Rodriguez retrieving and raising a firearm, along with audio consistent with that of a gunshot.
Braintree police said two men, one of whom they identified as Rodriguez, fled the mall on foot but were taken into custody a short distance away after an extensive search involving police dogs. Mall surveillance video captured Rodriguez running out of the South Shore Plaza immediately after the shooting, clutching a bulge in his waistline with his right hand.
Police found a gun in bushes outside the plaza, and six shell casings were recovered at the scene of the shooting.
The second man was cleared and released, but police say the incident remains under investigation and there could still be additional charges.
It wasn't immediately clear if Rodriguez had an attorney who could speak to the charges.
During a July 2017, the Braintree mall was also put on lockdown and evacuated. Authorities said at the time that incident appeared to be related to gang activity, with two gang members happening to cross paths inside of Macy's.
