Police search for gunman after brazen daytime shooting at Braintree mall

Police are investigating a brazen daytime shooting that sent shoppers fleeing from the South Shore Plaza in Braintree.

The 26-year-old victim remained in critical condition after the shooting in a store Saturday afternoon, and police were still searching for the gunman on Sunday, law enforcement officials said.

Braintree Deputy Police Chief Tim Cohoon said the shooting appeared to be "a targeted event and didn't appear to be random."

The mall immediately went into lockdown. Hours later, police said the mall was cleared and that the scene was secured.

The victim was brought to a Boston hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Braintree police urged people to stay away from the South Shore Plaza area shortly after the shooting. People sheltering inside stores in the mall were escorted by police out of the area, authorities then cleared out the area and closed down the mall to the public.

This is not the first instance of violence at South Shore Plaza. Earlier this month 22-year-old Jose Rodriguez admitted to shooting a 15-year-old girl at the mall in 2020. The shooting took place around 4:43 p.m. July 3, 2020, in the Nordstrom wing of the mall and began as an altercation between two groups, authorities said. A 15-year-old girl standing nearby was shot in the hand and chest.

In February 2017, shooting erupted when two members of rival Boston gangs encountered each other in the shoe department of Macy's. No one was injured, and a suspect was arrested several hours later in Quincy.

With reporting from WBUR's Paul Connearney.

This is a developing story. We will continue to update as information becomes available.