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Crime

West Edmonton Mall locked down second time this week after shooting incident Thursday afternoon

Jan 30, 2026 | 11:39 AM

The largest mall in Canada was placed on lockdown two times in less than a week after incidents involving firearms.

Edmonton Police responded to a weapons complaint just before 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, at West Edmonton Mall.

There were reports of two males walking in the Bourbon Street area, when one male pointed and shot a firearm towards the other.

The mall was placed on lockdown for a little over an hour as a result of the incident. Police say there is no danger to the public and no injuries have been reported.

City police are said to still be investigating this shooting and no suspects have been named.

This was the second time this week that the major shopping centre has been put on lockdown.

On Monday, Jan. 26, Edmonton Police responded to reports of a person pointing a gun at another person in the mall at 8:20 p.m.

EPS says a 15-year-old boy was arrested and found the gun was a toy designed to look like a real firearm.

WEM was placed on lockdown due to the potentially dangerous incident and was lifted a short time after it was deemed safe for the public.

City police said in a social media post about the fake gun incident; “Because of the risk to public and officer safety, police treat all firearm complaints as real. Officers will respond quickly, using appropriate resources, tactics, and levels of force. These encounters can become deadly, even when the gun is not real.”