NY Giants players safe and accounted for after deadly Mall of America shooting
There was a scary situation for the NY Giants on Friday night leading up to Saturday’s matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota. According to multiple reports, there was a shooting at the Mall of America, adjacent to where the Giants are staying for the Christmas Eve contest in Week 16 against the Vikes.
Per the police report, there was an altercation between two groups and a 19-year-old man was killed during the shooting. Another person inside of the mall had their jacket grazed by a bullet. The shooting, per ESPN, went down at around 7:50 p.m. local time.
Giants executive vice president of communications Pat Hanlon told the Associated Press that the team believes members of the squad were inside of the mall during the shooting and lockdown, but that everyone has since been accounted for back at the hotel.
The New York Giants believe multiple players were inside the Mall of America during a deadly shooting Friday night at the nation's largest shopping center.https://t.co/GnpKO3I2Aw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 24, 2022
NY Giants players are safe in Minnesota after the Mall of America shooting
Obviously, this is a very sensitive and scary matter for everyone involved here. As noted by ESPN, NY Giants play-by-play announcer Bob Papa was also in Minnesota, eating at the Twin Cities Grill on Friday night. He posted on his Twitter account as things were happening. We can’t even begin to imagine what he and the other patrons were going through.
Scary here @mallofamerica. Shooting in mall. On lockdown at #TwinCitiesGrill. Two gunmen at least one victim.
— Bob Papa (@BobPapa_NFL) December 24, 2022
The Giants are 8-5-1 on the season and are in fantastic position to book a trip to the postseason. A win over the Vikings would be massive for Brian Daboll, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and Co. However, right now all that matters is that the players, coaches and everyone donning Big Blue is safe and sound.
The Mall of America is expected to be open on Saturday, as this appears to be an isolated incident and there’s no further threat to the community. The Giants and Vikings are set to face off at 1:00 p.m. ET at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, located around 11 miles away from the Mall of America in Bloomington.
