This Wednesday afternoon was like any other at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island, located about thirty minutes away from the big apple, itself. At least, all was normal, until tragedy struck in the form of a shooting that lead to one death and another victim left in critical condition. Police began a search for the alleged gunman, whom they described as “armed and dangerous.” Physical descriptions of the man, named Sang Ho Kim, spoke of a tall, Asian male in a red shirt and suit jacket. With speculations that the event was neither random nor isolated, the mall and a nearby school were prompted to engage in lock downs.
It came to light as the investigation went on that the shooting had taken place at East Garden City lighting company, which is located close to the mall. Sang Ho Kim was a disgruntled employee who opened fire on the owner CEO and another employee. The other employee became the causality and the owner CEO remains in critical condition.
Sang Ho Kim fled the scene in a white Honda with New York plates, and police quickly encouraged people to be on the look out and to phone in any tips they might have. The police also enacted lock down procedures on multiple areas, such as the nearby mall and school, which led to some confusion about where the shooting actually took place. The bans were lifted earlier today, once the police no longer considered Sang Ho Kim an immediate threat.
Sang Ho Kim is still at large and has yet to be located. Police urge callers to submit tips as to his whereabouts and to be cautious. The area’s chief of police claimed that they were “very confident that [Kim] is not in the area now,” and went on to say that they have no reason to believe that he is on any kind of random rampage.
Image courtesy of this YouTube video.