PETALING JAYA: The father of a family of six recounted how they endured 45mins of pure terror as the Setia Alam mall shooter held them at gunpoint while making a getaway from the mall.
According to Sinar Harian, the 30-year-old man said that the gunman suddenly appeared next to them in the parking area and immediately pointed a gun at them after the shooting incident on Saturday (Feb 8).
"My family and I faced a terrifying 45mins inside the car with that man, who pointed a gun at us and ordered me to drive away from the shopping mall in Setia Alam on the day of the incident," said the man.
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"I was stunned. The man even fired a shot at the wall to show that the gun was real," he said on Monday (Feb 10).
The victim said that he had been having a meal with his wife and four children at a restaurant in the shopping mall when chaos suddenly broke out.
"The security guards ordered us to leave immediately. At that moment, we had no idea what was really happening.
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"I quickly took my family out, and as we headed towards the parking area, I heard an explosion," he said.
The victim said he saw many cars speeding away and as the family were about to get into their car, the gunman showed up and forced them into the car.
"I asked him to put away the gun so the children wouldn't be scared," he said adding that the shooter had got into the backseat.
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The victim and his family then spent 45mins in the car with the gunman before he ordered the victim to stop by the side of a highway and left with the memory card from the dashcam.
Police have identified the gunman as a local in his 30s, with a criminal record including 11 prior criminal and drug-related offences.
He is believed to have arrived at the shopping centre at around 10pm and approached a male cleaning worker before opening fire.
He then fired several more shots in the mall before fleeing the scene.
The male cleaning worker sustained injuries to his leg and buttocks but is in stable condition.
