Getty Kyle Busch (left) & Samantha Busch (right) walk the red carpet at Sonoma Raceway.
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch and his family were at the Mall of America on August 4 when an active shooter situation unfolded. They safely exited the complex. Now Samantha Busch has provided more details about the experience.
Samantha made a long post on Instagram that described the situation. She explained that they were at the Mall of America, where they spent time on some of the rides. She said that the girls left to go shopping while the boys stayed for more time on the rides before the chaos.
“I was standing at the entrance of H&M which is on floor 1 when I heard screaming from above,” Samantha explained. “A group of people were running and yelling. My brain instantly thought it was just teenagers being goofy and then a split second later herds of people on levels 2 and 3 were running. Next a wave of people started down our corridor and that’s when I heard people shouting ‘active shooter in the mall’.
“You know the logical thing to do is run out the doors but with Kyle and Brexton still somewhere inside I froze where I was,” Samantha continued. “Thank God when I called Kyle he answered as he and Brex were next in line for a ride and they didn’t know what was happening. We stayed on the phone with each other while the girls went running outside, getting as much distance from the mall as we could, and the boys made a beeline to the closet parking garage to get out of the building.”
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Footage Surfaced of Busch at the Mall on August 4
GettyThe Busch provided updates from Mall of America.
News began to circulate on August 4 about an active shooter situation at the Mall of America as photos and videos surfaced on Twitter. Among them was a video clip that showed Busch and Brexton.
Andy Paras, a news director for FOX 55 in Fort Wayne, tweeted out a video showing people quickly moving toward the exits at Mall of America. Busch was among this group as he and Brexton moved along with the crowd.
Chaos and confusion at @mallofamerica. Making people go outside. #mallofamerica
Samantha provided her first update just before the authorities locked down the mall. She posted a quick note on her Instagram Stories saying that they had gotten out and that they were safe. Samantha added that they were praying that the other people inside the mall were safe as well.
Busch added comments of his own on his Instagram Stories. He said that they were all thankful to be safe after the events. The two-time Cup Series champion also thanked all of the people that sent messages of support.
The Incident Took Place at the Nike Store
There were numerous questions about the situation in the immediate aftermath of the initial reports. Bloomington Police Chief Booker T. Hodges provided more information, which CBS News relayed.
Hodges said that officers heard shots fired near the Nike store at 4:15 p.m. local time. The officers arrived on the scene within 30 seconds. There were no reported injuries, but the suspect fled the mall.
According to CBS News, the surveillance footage showed an altercation between two groups of young adults at the cash register. The outlet reported that one of the groups left but that one of its members returned to the store and fired three shots inside before fleeing.
The Mall of America went into lockdown for two hours after the altercation at the store, and it remained closed for the rest of the day. It reopened the morning of August 5. Hodges said that the authorities are looking for two suspects and that there was no danger to the public at the time.
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