x
Breaking News
More () »

Police identify 1 killed at Wisconsin mall, search for teen

Authorities respond to the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, after two people were shot.
Credit: Associated Press
Authorities respond to the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Wis., after two people were shot in the mall Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (William Glasheen/The Post-Crescent via AP)

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. — Police in a northern Wisconsin town identified late Sunday a person shot and killed at a mall and said they were looking for a teenager in connection to the shooting.

Jovanni J. Frausto, 19, died as a result of the gunfire that erupted around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Police Officer Travis Waas said in a statement. A second person who was also shot went to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was later released.

A 17-year-old who police believed to be armed and dangerous is wanted in connection to the case.

Police also said this was believed to be a targeted shooting.

Photos from the scene showed officers, some in tactical gear, staging outside the mall and what appeared to be customers walking out with their hands in the air.

Haylie Mirr, who works at a mall restaurant called Box Lunch, said she didn't know anything about the shooting, but said: “People just started running. We just locked the doors, and we had four customers in the store, we brought them to our back room.”

They waited at least three hours for the all-clear.

Police said they were interviewing witnesses and following leads. No motive was immediately released.

It was the second recent mall shooting in Wisconsin. In November, eight people were injured in a shooting after a confrontation at a mall in Wauwatosa, in suburban Milwaukee. A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged.

Grand Chute is a town of about 22,000 on the outskirts of Appleton, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Milwaukee.

Credit: Associated Press
Authorities respond to the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Wis., after two people were shot in the mall Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (William Glasheen/The Post-Crescent via AP)

Before You Leave, Check This Out