Florida Mall: Man accidentally shot himself while adjusting gun, deputies say

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said there is no major threat at the Florida Mall after reports of a shooting spread quickly on social media Sunday afternoon. A young man mistakenly shot himself while adjusting a gun, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

"Reports of a shooting at the Florida Mall are unfounded," the Sheriff's Office said in a social media post. "There was an accidental discharge of a firearm and the only person injured is the person who was handling the firearm."

In an email to FOX 35, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office said deputies responded to the mall around 3 p.m. and found a man in his 20s who had accidentally shot himself while adjusting a gun. 

That man was taken to the hospital with injuries considered to be non-life-threatening.

Breanna Douglas and Demarcus Heran, of Texas, were at the Florida Mall shopping ahead of an upcoming cruise. They were eating at a restaurant outside of the mall when they suddenly saw people running out of the mall.

"You could just see everybody pouring out of there. They just started pouring out, just like the wind was blowing them out of there. They were just really scared," Douglas said. 

"People were crying. Kids lost their moms. Older people were on the ground. It was crazy."

The Florida Mall is located in Orange County, near the junction of State Road 482, State Road 528, and State Road 441. It is billed as the largest shopping center in Central Florida, boasting more than 250 stores. It is owned by Simon Property Group.

FOX 35 has reached out to representatives of the mall for comment.