PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Nearly a week after a shooting at the Gardens Mall, the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department announced they have made two arrests in the case, which they deemed as a gang-related incident.
Police made the announcement during a Tuesday afternoon news conference held outside city offices.
Chief Clinton Shannon and Mayor Chelsea Reed provided updates on the investigation into the shooting, which took place last Wednesday and prompted a massive response from multiple law enforcement agencies.
WATCH NEWS CONFERENCE BELOW:
Shannon identified the shooter as Devon Jamal Graham, 28, of Riviera Beach who they called a "career criminal" with six previous felony convictions. Graham was arrested Tuesday after a police pursuit that ended on Interstate 95 near Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach.
Police said last week they were looking for two persons of interest in the shooting but said it was "not a random act" and "not an active shooter."
Shannon said Tuesday the person who was injured in the shooting was Kemarcio Antonio Mitchell, 28, of West Palm Beach, who was seen discarding a pistol in the parking lot before leaving the mall property.
Mitchell arrived at St. Mary's Medical Center about two hours later with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was later treated and released. He was then located on Feb. 16 in West Palm Beach and was held on a charge of a convicted felon possessing a weapon.
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Police said both Graham and Mitchell have extensive criminal histories.
Mitchell, who has 10 felony convictions, was previously charged with first-degree homicide in 2011. He was found not guilty of second-degree murder in 2015.
Shannon said surveillance footage from the mall showed Mitchell walking down the escalator from the second floor toward two other men, who were riding the escalator up. Police said Mitchell was seen aggressively approaching the other men and appeared to have a concealed weapon. As Mitchell approached the men, Shannon said one man wearing a purple-hooded sweatshirt pulled out a gun and fired it at Mitchell.
Investigators said Mitchell then ran back up the escalator and out of the mall, leaving a trail of blood.
The shooter also ran out of the mall with another man who was wearing a green long-sleeved shirt.
Shannon said a vehicle that Graham and the other man arrived in at the mall Wednesday was found, which contained an AK-47 rifle, a handgun and narcotics packaged for sale.
"We believe there are gang implications, both of these individuals know each other," Shannon said. "They have a history together. We do believe there is a gang affiliation to it."
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Could Gardens police have released details on mall shooting earlier?
This was the first time that police have held a news conference on the incident, which occurred six days ago.
WPTV investigative reporter Dave Bohman looked into the apparent slow release of critical information to warn and reassure people following the shooting.
"Without being able to answer questions, it doesn't do a lot of good for me to stand before you and keep telling you I can't answer that question," Shannon said regarding not holding a news conference the day of the shooting.
WATCH: Gardens Mall patrons react to arrests
People who were at the mall during the shooting are thankful for the update, including the arrests, but were kept in the dark in the hours after it.
"Let us know what is going on. We had no clue," Tom Evans, who was shopping at Sephora during the shooting, told WPTV reporter Joel Lopez.
He wasn't that concerned it took six days for the first news conference.
"If it was an ongoing investigation, they didn't know who the person was, you know, you have to look at both sides of that," Evans said. "I can't blame anything wrong."
He took cover with people in the store inside a back room that they barricaded shut.
"These guys have a history of violence. They have a criminal record. What are they doing at the mall? What are they doing out?" Evans said. "These are people that are walking around, normal people that are just trying to shop for Valentine's Day, and here they have a shooting."
Marilyn Tadross planned to go to the mall with her granddaughter on the day of the shooting but chose not to go. She said she was pleased with the boots on the ground but would have liked to see more from the police and the mayor.
"It's terrible," Tadross said of the shooting. "I mean, you can't say enough about how sad it is for the people involved, but yeah, the politicians should step up."
Police said they have not identified the man in the green long-sleeved shirt who was with Graham at the time of the shooting.
Mitchell had his initial appearance Tuesday before a federal judge in West Palm Beach on a criminal complaint charging him with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Shannon said the case is still an active investigation.
"These individuals came [to the mall] and had a confrontation at this location," Shannon said. "This could have happened anywhere."
