Mall of America Shooter Sentenced
Bloomington, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minneapolis man responsible for a shooting inside the Mall of America last summer that attracted national media attention has been sentenced to three years in prison.
22-year-old Shamar Lark earlier entered a guilty plea to a second-degree assault charge through a plea agreement that led to the dismissal of felony counts of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety and possession of a pistol without a permit in a public place. He was given credit for the 250 days he has been in jail since his arrest and the judge noted his prison sentence is consistent with state sentencing guidelines.
According to the criminal complaint, Lark was seen on a surveillance camera video firing a handgun several times into the Nike store on the west side of the Mall of America on the afternoon of August 4, 2022. The court document indicates numerous customers, including children, were inside the store at the time.
The shooting followed a fight involving six people in front of the checkout area inside the Nike store. The surveillance camera video shows two of the males involved in the fight leaving and then a man, later identified as Lark, returning and firing the gun at the others involved in the altercation.
No injuries were reported, but the shooting resulted in a lockdown of the Mall of America that lasted several hours before the huge shopping complex was closed for the remainder of the day. The incident also prompted a nationwide manhunt for Lark, who was apprehended about a week later in Chicago.