A 24-year-old charged in a weekend shooting inside a Crabtree Valley Mall parking deck faced a judge for the first time on Monday.
In court, Wake County Assistant District Attorney Matt Lively said Jaquez Brown, 24, is facing charges for shooting into a car with a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old inside. At least 20 cars were hit by bullets, he said, although no one was injured.
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Lively said the Saturday afternoon shooting in the Macy's parking deck was the result of a fight between rival gangs, describing it as a "cowboy-style gunfight."
"He put the safety of all the residents of Wake County at great risk basically with a cowboy-style gunfight at Crabtree mall," Lively described in court.
A judge on Monday increased Brown's bond to $200,000 plus electronic monitoring.
On Saturday around 1:35 p.m., Raleigh police officers responded to multiple shots fired in the parking deck behind the mall on Creedmoor Road.
Police told WRAL News there were no reported injuries.
First responder radio traffic indicates who police were looking for when they first got to the scene.
"We got a description. We got a Black male wearing a black shirt. It looks like it's going to be three Black males all shooting at each other near the Macy's. Crabtree Valley side. Security has been notified."
After gunfire was exchanged, police said a suspect drove away from the area, hit another vehicle and kept driving.
Police said witnesses told them several people ran from the scene immediately after the call came in.
Brown was taken into custody. He faces several charges, some from outstanding warrants, and a felony charge related to Saturday's shooting, when police said he fired a gun in the parking deck.
Business never stopped when the shooting happened. Blake Ticknor, a store manager, told WRAL News he was in the mall when the shots rang out.
"In today's society these things unfortunately pop up anywhere and everywhere, so it's frustrating," Ticknor said.
Ticknor praised Crabtree Valley Mall's security team, saying their response was fast.
"I can't say enough about the security and the job they do here to keep everybody protected," he said. "Never at any time do I feel unsafe. Security is pretty present. They do a great job of managing security and having that presence well known."
Among the charges, Brown was charged with discharging a weapon into occupied property, which is a felony. He is due in court again on Nov. 18, and the district attorney said more charges will likely be filed against him.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.
On Saturday, mallgoers said things felt normal inside the mall when the investigation began.
"It seemed pretty normal," Alayjah Ottley said. "I'm not even sure if anyone knew about the police cars outside."
On Black Friday last year, some Crabtree shoppers were panicked when a noisy, chaotic scene broke out following a loud noise.
The mall remained open on Saturday, but police asked patrons to stay away from the parking deck near Macy's during their investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information to the investigation to contact them at 919-966-3335 or leave a tip at the Raleigh Crime Stoppers website.