The suspect and victim in the fatal shooting at the Danville mall knew each other | Media Pyro

Bowles would not say whether the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Tyshais Dashan King, a customer at Hibbett Sports in the Danville Mall, was gang-related.

“We can’t release any additional information beyond what we have right now,” Bowles said.

Authorities are looking for 18-year-old Christian Isiah Pinkney as a suspect in the murder.

“The suspect is still at large and is considered armed and dangerous,” Bowles said.

Danny Waddell, director of security at the Danville mall, said police have been asked to patrol the mall. Waddell would not comment further for this story.

Bowles told the media Monday afternoon that Saturday’s killing was the sixth of the year. She said there were seven murders in Danville in 2021.

“Our condolences go out to the Tishais family,” Bowles said. “We are sorry for the loss.”

Violent crime is down from last year, she said.

“Violent crime, aggravated assault is down,” Bowles said. “Aggravated assaults are down 23% and misdemeanor assaults are down 14% compared to last year.”

A suspect pulled out a gun and shot King around 7:15 p.m., according to the news release. The accused then fled from the spot.

Emergency personnel took the victim from the scene with what police said was life-threatening injuries. King died at the hospital, police said.

“This appears to be an isolated incident and there are no public safety concerns at this time,” police wrote in a news release. “To ensure the safety of mall patrons, DPD conducted a store-by-store search and released patrons after the search was completed.”

The suspect faces charges of second-degree murder, malicious discharge of a firearm into a public building, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Saturday’s killing was not the only shooting incident in the city over the weekend.

On Sunday night, three people were injured in a drive-by shooting in the 400 block of Greenwich Circle. All of the adult victims were treated at Sova Health-Danville and released.

The police department received reports of shots fired after the incident at 9:39 p.m. Sunday. Shots were fired from a silver vehicle at a residence on Greenwich Circle, according to a news release from the department.

No persons of interest are suspected in the case, Bowles said.

“We are still actively investigating it,” she said.

On Monday, the police department held a HEART (Heal and Engage After Recent Trauma) walk through the 400 block of Greenwich Circle in North Danville on a wet and rainy afternoon.

The program takes place in neighborhoods that have recently experienced violent incidents. The purpose of their walk is to inform residents of what happened, answer their questions, and let them know about the resources available to them if they need help dealing with what happened.

Just prior to the walk, Major Chris Wiles and Lt. John Pulley reminded participants of the purpose of the walk and assigned them to teams.

During an interview, Pulley, the Danville Register and Bee, said the shooting victims did not live in Greenwich. The assailants intended to shoot someone dead.

“We believe they are not residents of this neighborhood,” Pulley said, adding that he did not know if the person targeted was one of the victims.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Danville Police Department. Residents can call patrol at 434-799-6510, inquiries at 434-799-6508, 911 or Crime Stoppers at 434-793-0000. Also, people can reach out to any officer, use social media, email crimetips@danvilleva.gov or use the Crime Tips app CARE.

A cash reward is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, police said.