Two shot at Greenville mall, teen arrested after fight turns violent

Gunfire at Haywood Mall turned a busy shopping center into a crime scene in minutes, sending two people to the hospital and drawing a major response from Greenville police, county deputies and fire crews. Officers said the first shots were reported around 1:11 p.m. Saturday in the plaza between Macy’s and Belk, and police later said there was no danger to the public after the mall was evacuated and contained.

An officer stationed at the mall heard the shots and moved toward the plaza, where investigators said a woman had been shot in the foot and a man had been hit in the neck and shoulder area. Both victims were taken to a hospital and later reported in stable condition. Police said the woman was a bystander, underscoring how quickly violence can spill beyond the people directly involved.

Greenville police said the people involved knew each other and that the shooting followed a verbal altercation between two groups. A 17-year-old identified in local reporting as Kamari Walker was arrested and charged as an adult. The public charge cited by police was assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Investigators said they were still trying to identify other people who fired guns, and Detective Bryant asked anyone with video or information to contact ebryant@greenvillesc.gov.

The mall was evacuated, with evacuees directed to a pickup point in the Dillard’s parking garage. Greenlink brought in a bus so people could wait in air conditioning while officers and emergency workers cleared the building. Police and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office later said no other shots were fired after officers arrived, and several people were initially detained as the scene was secured.

Haywood Mall remained closed Saturday evening and reopened Sunday morning. The shooting adds new pressure on security at one of South Carolina’s largest retail centers, especially after Haywood Mall said in June 2025 that it would increase security following several reports of fighting there. For shoppers, workers and families inside the mall, the episode turned an ordinary Saturday afternoon into a scramble for exits, information and safety in a place designed for routine, not fear.