Park Place Mall Shooting Tucson, AZ — Authorities are responding to a shooting incident that occurred near Park Place Mall on Saturday evening, resulting in one person being wounded and a suspect taken into custody, officials confirmed.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the parking area near East Broadway Boulevard and Van Buren Avenue after reports of gunfire in the vicinity of the shopping center. Officers located a victim suffering from a gunshot wound and provided immediate aid before the individual was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Tucson Police identified the suspect as 19-year-old Robert Steven Balderrama, who surrendered to authorities following widespread media and community outreach that included the release of his photograph. Balderrama was arrested and booked into the Pima County Jail on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with physical injury.
Police say the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident between a driver and a pedestrian, with gunfire erupting during an altercation in the parking lot. Officers responded to the scene in the 5900 block of East Broadway, in the Peter Piper Pizza parking lot just outside the mall, and determined that both parties had left by the time law enforcement arrived.
The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, police said, while the investigation continues into the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Authorities have not indicated any further suspects are sought in connection with the incident.
Park Place Mall itself was not reported to have been the site of gunfire inside the building, and mall operations were not immediately confirmed to be impacted by the incident. Police continue to urge anyone with additional information to contact investigators.
This marks a significant law enforcement response in the Tucson area as officials work to address violent incidents in and around popular public spaces. More details are expected as the case progresses.
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