Police: University Mall Shooting was Accidental, Suspect Charged with Assault

A shooting at Tuscaloosa's University Mall last Saturday that sparked panic and left four people with minor injuries was an accident, police said Friday afternoon.

Jack Kennedy, the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said investigators have been working this case tirelessly since the shooting happened last weekend.

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After interviewing witnesses, collecting physical evidence, reviewing surveillance footage and more, Kennedy said police now believe that one person, 24-year-old Tyrus Jacquez Jones, had a pistol while walking through the mall Saturday afternoon.

Jones negligently handled the weapon and fired one shot into the floor, Kennedy said, and shrapnel and bullet fragments injured four people nearby.

Jones then reportedly fled the scene, but police obtained warrants to charge him with four counts of third-degree assault in the shooting.

The 24-year-old suspect was placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail Friday, where his combined bond was set at $12,000.