JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local man is facing felony charges after bringing a gun inside the Avenues Mall. Police arrested 29-year-old Timothy Price at the Avenues Saturday. He is now charged with carrying a concealed firearm.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says a JSO Loss-Prevention officer saw Price inside the Belk Department store through the store video surveillance system. He noticed Price was walking quickly through the store. The officer says it appeared Price had a gun on him. That officer, along with back-up, then met the suspect in AT&T and confronted Price asking if he had a gun. Price confirmed he did. Officers say Price told them he knowingly brought the gun into the mall because he feared for his safety.
The Avenues Mall's General Manager Kevin Candlish released the following statement on the incident:
"We are grateful for the immediate response and actions of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. We are fully cooperating with their team and will continue to assist them in any way we can. For specific details regarding this event, we ask that you contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
We are committed to providing a safe, quality shopping environment for our shoppers and mall employees. As always, we encourage our employees, residents and shoppers to report suspicious activity immediately to security."
