A shattered light fixture at Tysons Corner Mall in Tysons, Virginia, caused a fright on Sunday afternoon, according to police.
At 2:49 p.m. Sunday, Fairfax County Police received a call reporting gunshots fired inside Tysons Corner Center, situated at 1961 Chain Bridge Road.
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Officers searched the building after arriving on the scene and evacuated the mall to investigate the reports.
“Officers are at Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd, in McLean for report of gunshots inside the mall. Nothing found at this point. Please avoid the area while officers continue to clear the mall,” the police tweeted.
According to Fairfax County Police, the noise that scared shoppers was produced by a light fixture smashing inside the mall, not by gunfire.
The light fixture shattered after falling, according to police, but they are still unsure what caused it to fall. It was unclear which section of the mall this occurred in.
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The mall will remain open for the rest of the day on Sunday.
This is Tysons Corner Mall’s second fright of the summer, following gunshots fired inside the mall in June amid a brawl between two groups.
Where is Fairfax County?
Fairfax County, formally the County of Fairfax, is a county in the United States’ Commonwealth of Virginia. Fairfax County, located in Northern Virginia, borders both Alexandria and Arlington counties and is part of Washington, D.C.’s suburban ring. As a result, the county is largely suburban, with some urban and rural enclaves.
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The population was 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, making it the Commonwealth’s most populous jurisdiction, accounting for roughly 13% of Virginia’s total population. Fairfax is the county seat, but because it is a separate city under Virginia law, it is not part of Fairfax County.