carlballou /iStockBy Catherine Thorbecke, ABC News

Police are responding to reports of an active shooter scene at the South Shore Plaza mall in Braintree, Massachusetts, officials announced via Twitter.

The Massachusetts State Police said one person was transported to the hospital and the suspect is still at large.

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting the Braintree Police in the response to the scene.

The Braintree Police Department said via Twitter that the stores are currently in lockdown, urging customers to remain where they are now. In a follow-up tweet, the agency said the suspect or suspects are “believed to have fled the mall on foot” and urged neighbors to shelter in place and report suspicious activity.

A witness inside the mall described the chaos to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB, saying he heard “six gunshots.”

“Everything was acting normal, day to day, I was on the upstairs location near Sears, as I was walking toward Sears, I was on the second level I saw people start going to the railing, looking down to the first floor and then we just heard six gunshots one after another, then it went silent,” he said. “I didn’t see any shooter or anything like that. And then it all became chaos, the mall, everybody trying to find an exit.”

Braintree is located about 25 minutes south of downtown Boston.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.





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