Woman hides in bathroom with two kids when shots ring out

By Lacey Beasley

Click here for updates on this story

    MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — Gunshots Saturday night near a busy store on Schillinger Road left bystanders completely rattled, especially the woman who called 911 while hiding in a bathroom stall, huddled with her children.

“I heard someone say that shots had been fired,” said Amber Barnard, who was inside Target.

According to witnesses, hundreds of kids ran across Schillinger to the Target parking lot after a fight broke out at the AMC theatre. Barnard was with her two young daughters at Target around 9:50 p.m. when shots rang out from the parking lot. She said just minutes before they walked into the store, hundreds of kids stormed the area.

“When we pulled into the parking lot, there was a ton of kids out here, and they were in the Chili’s parking lot, the Sonny’s parking lot,” she said. “You could see them everywhere.”

According to multiple witnesses, a fight involving juveniles broke out at the AMC movie theatre across the street. Police said they received a disorderly complaint and responded to the theatre, but the crowd dispersed when officers arrived on scene. Moments later, police said shots were fired across the street, near the Get Air trampoline park.

From inside Target, Barnard said employees were told to hide.

“Two employees ran to the back of the store, and when they passed me, I heard on one of their radios to get in a safe place now,” she said. “I grabbed my youngest daughter’s hand, I left my buggy, and we ran to the back of the store. I heard someone say that shots had been fired. We immediately went into a bathroom and one of the employees locked the door.”

She then called 911.

“Longest 15 minutes of my life,” said Barnard. “Everybody was scared and crying.”

When given all clear, she and her daughters walked into the parking lot to find dozens of MPD officers on scene.

Fortunately, police said no one was injured. Though Barnard’s burning question was ‘where were the parents?’.

“Why are these kids out here?” she asked. “Why do we have 200 to300 12- to 15-year-old children unsupervised? I’m glad no one got hurt, but it could have been bad.”

Mobile police said the Get Air trampoline park building was struck by gunfire, but once again, no one was injured.

MPD said this is an ongoing investigation. No one has been charged or arrested.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.