BOISE, Idaho — Dozens of shoppers were inside the Boise Towne Square on Monday afternoon when the sound of gunshots echoed throughout the mall. Witnesses recalled people falling to the floor and scrambling outside to safety.
Witnesses were in tears and distress, calling their loved ones to tell them they were okay. Tragically, two people were killed in the shooting and five others were injured, including a Boise Police officer and the suspect.
Several witnesses spoke with KTVB about what they saw as the shots rang out.
"We were just getting ready to check out, and we heard four or five shots and we hit the ground immediately," said Cheryl Frey, who was shopping at the time of the shooting. "And then the cashier, she hit the ground with us and started crawling away and she goes, 'Come with me.' She took us and hid us in one of their closets that have a code on it."
Frey said she his in the closet for about an hour and a half, which felt like a lifetime in that situation.
"Finally we heard somebody knocking or yelling, 'State Police,'" she recalled. "I thought they were saying, and we didn't even answer because who knows if it was real or not? We live in Illinois like three hours away from Chicago where it's more expected. You don't expect it to happen here."
Dustin Trumbull was also at the mall at the time of the shooting, enjoying lunch with his friends.
"My friends and I were drinking and having food at Old Chicago, just paid our bill," he recalled. "Then we saw a bunch of people running out the main entrance, looked like they were panicked, looking back. The security guard pulled up onto the front entrance and got on the loudspeaker, and told everyone to leave the building."
Stranger or native to the Gem State, the deadly act came as a complete shock to the entire region. Many witnesses said the act "is not their Idaho."
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