21-Year-Old Killed After Shooting Outside Woodland Hills Mall; Suspect At Large

A man has died after a shooting just outside Woodland Hills Mall on Tuesday night, Tulsa Police said. Officers said they are still looking for the shooter.

Police identified the victim as 21-year-old Kierstan Love. Love died in the hospital overnight, police said.

Related Story: 1 Shot In Incident At Woodland Hills Mall

The shooting happened just after 6 p.m. Tuesday when two people got into an argument outside the northwest doors of the mall, police said.

That argument turned into a fight and one of them pulled a gun and shot the other, according to police. The shooter ran away from the mall, through the parking lot, and is still at large, police said.

People inside the mall heard the gunshots, which caused many people to panic and run for cover. Police said they don't believe the shooter ever went inside the mall.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said because the mall is so big, it took a while to get enough resources on site to get everyone to safety. Officers partnered with mall security to evacuate the building.

"The most important thing, especially in situation with lots of people in play, is to try and get people as safe as possible. And that means quick response and also means officers placing themselves in danger more than any other time in order to ensure the public is safe," Chief Franklin said.

Police have not released much suspect information other than the person is between 20 and 30 years old.

Chief Franklin said it's never a good idea to handle an altercation with gunfire, especially not at a mall.

"That's an issue we run into in law enforcement quite often, is individuals taking a heat of the moment opportunity to squeeze the trigger. And here at this mall, the day after Christmas, not that any other time is any better, but this mall is crowded with people," Chief Franklin said.

Woodland Hills Mall released the following statement:

The Tulsa Police Department indicated that this was an isolated incident stemming from an altercation between two individuals outside a mall entrance. We are grateful for the quick response of the Tulsa Police Officer stationed in the center, mall security as well as the broader support of the Tulsa Police Department and other responding agencies. While Tulsa Police also indicated there is no ongoing threat, there will be a heightened law enforcement presence at the property.

Witnesses React To Woodland Hills Mall Shooting

Witnesses described the aftermath of the shooting as chaos. 

It’s the day after Christmas and witnesses said a lot of people were inside the mall shopping when it happened. 

Employees said people were running into stores trying to find shelter. 

One employee of a tattoo shop said he helped about 50 people hide inside the shop before closing the entrance.  

That witness said he didn’t know if the shooter was inside or outside of the mall.

Most people said they didn’t hear any gunshots but followed because they were afraid, and all they could hear were people shouting about a shooter. 

Another witness said his girlfriend recently started working inside the mall and he came after she sent him a text about the shooting. 

“Obviously, I want to be able to comfort her. I mean, that's not something anyone should have to go through,” witness Ryan Hoover said. “Especially someone who's not around that, who's not trained for anything related to that. I just want to be able to hold her.”

Police said everyone in shelter is out of the mall and it was fully cleared around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Police cleared the area, and the parking lot was nearly empty by 10 p.m.