Shoppers Back in Force After Shootout at Mall

Police Look for Possible Link to Annapolis High School Fights

Shoppers returned to Westfield Shoppingtown Annapolis in droves yesterday, undeterred by a gun battle that wounded three in the mall's food court the night before and sent scores of others racing for exits or diving under tables.

An 18-year-old Annapolis resident who was shot twice in the abdomen remained in a hospital under police guard, authorities said, and an off-duty U.S. Secret Service agent with whom he allegedly traded fire was recovering from a single gunshot wound.

The injuries to each man -- as well as to Tahzay L. Brown, a 16-year-old male struck in the crossfire -- were not considered life-threatening.

The violence began at 7:15 Saturday evening when the agent intervened after spotting as many as eight young men assaulting another young man, according to a preliminary police account.

The 18-year-old drew a handgun and fired, hitting the agent once in the leg, police said. The agent then drew his weapon, fired seven times and struck the 18-year-old twice in the abdomen, police said. The agent was with a family member, who was not injured.

Sara Schriver, an Anne Arundel County police spokeswoman, said it was unclear whether the bullet that hit Brown was fired by the agent or the 18-year-old.

Georgia Goslee, an attorney authorized to speak on behalf of Brown's family, described the Annapolis High School student as a victim drawn into the violence merely because the person who was being assaulted is his friend. She said the confrontation between the friend and the larger group was "spillover from an earlier incident that happened at the school . . . back in September."

Police said they are investigating whether the shooting was related to three fights at the high school Friday, during which seven students were arrested, or to fighting there in September, when nearly 20 students were arrested. Police have said those fights stemmed from "neighborhood rivalries," particularly between students from public housing complexes.

Goslee said she was unsure whether the September incident she referred to was, in fact, the fighting that led to so many arrests. Of Brown, who was treated at a hospital and released, she said: "Obviously, he's upset and shocked. He's disturbed by the entire occurrence."

In the bustling food court yesterday, shoppers and employees buzzed about the shooting. Tommy Yau said he was behind the counter at Panda Express, helping customers during a busy rush, when he spotted four or five men fighting.

Fistfights aren't uncommon in the food court, he said, but this one was close to his shop. Yau, the restaurant's manager, decided to call mall security. He had barely stepped toward the phone when shots rang out -- as many as seven within three or four seconds, he said.

"I got down," Yau recalled. "Then I heard another four or five shots."