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NJ mayor reports ‘good progress’ in probe of mall shooting

Officials announced a delayed opening for a New Jersey mall a day after a shooting at the food court that wounded two people and prompted the mayor to call for changes in federal gun laws

Police respond to a shooting at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, N.J., Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal via AP)
Police respond to a shooting at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, N.J., Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal via AP)Read moreReena Rose Sibayan / AP

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — An official reports progress in the investigation of a shooting at the food court of a New Jersey mall that wounded two people, one of whom was wanted in an earlier shooting.

The Newport Centre mall reopened at 1 p.m. Saturday, three hours later than scheduled, after authorities said a fistfight at about 6 p.m. Friday on the mall's third floor ended in gunfire, wounding one person in the stomach and another in his arm.

Mayor Steven Fulop said Saturday authorities were making "good progress" in the investigation of the shooting, which came two days after a shooting in a different part of Jersey City that prompted school lockdowns and also left two people hurt. Fulop said one of those wounded Friday night was wanted in the earlier shooting.

Police Chief Michael Kelly said it was unclear whether the shooter that started Friday night's incident was in custody, and he said he couldn't speculate about the number of shooters. He said the shooting could have been gang-related. Fulop said no one was injured in what he called an orderly evacuation.

Fulop called for changes in gun laws at the federal level in an earlier message posted Saturday on Twitter and addressed people who "say gun access has nothing to do with shootings."

"Fact is, years ago a fistfight at the mall was a fistfight at the mall," he said. "There wasn't a concern that someone was carrying an illegal gun."

He cited more than 300 illegal guns taken off the street by city police in the past year but called that "a drop in the bucket."

“People need to acknowledge there is a problem and can’t just pretend every criticism of gun access is an attack on the entirety of the Second Amendment,” he said.