Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

One Dead, One Wounded Following Shooting At South Coast Mall; Murder-Suicide Attempt Suspected

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies near the scene of a shooting at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks Saturday afternoon which left one dead, and one critically injured

There was chaos at a crowded Ventura County shopping center, as gunshots from what authorities believe was a murder-suicide attempt sent people running.

It happened just after 2 p.m. Saturday, at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks. Ventura County Sheriff’s office investigators say a woman was shot to death, and a man critically injured.

The shooting was on the eastern side of the mall, in a store called Paper Source.

Hundreds of people fled after hearing the shots, with many ducking into stores where they sheltered in place with employees who locked the doors. Many people feared there might be a gunman roaming the mall.

Sheriff’s deputies quickly determined that the incident was over, and that there wasn’t an armed person with a gun on the loose. It took more than an hour to clear everyone out of the stores, and dozens remained closed for the rest of the day.

The identity of the woman who died, and the man who was wounded haven’t been released.  But, authorities say the two had been married.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.