17-year-old faces attempted murder charge after Wheaton mall shooting

Security guard at Dick’s stopped, detained alleged shooter, police say

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August 3, 2026 12:03 p.m.

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Montgomery County police charged a 17-year-old boy from Silver Spring with attempted second-degree murder following a shooting at Westfield Wheaton mall on Friday evening that left a 13-year-old boy injured, the department said in a Saturday news release.

The teen is also facing charges of first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, carrying a loaded handgun on his person and possession of a firearm by a minor, police said in the release.

Bethesda Today does not publish the names of minors charged with crimes.

County police continue to investigate the incident, which came after police said in May that they planned to ramp up summer patrols at the mall after the Feb. 4 stabbing of one teen and the March 16 assault of another.

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The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. in the mall at 11160 Veirs Mills Road, near a children’s play area and Cinnabon shop, according to police. Dispatchers at the county’s Emergency Communications Center received more than 23 calls reporting that a person wearing all black clothing “was shooting at people.”

Responding officers who entered the mall on the lower level located the suspected shooter lying on the floor outside the entrance to Dick’s Sporting Goods, according to police. An armed security guard allegedly stopped the teen as he ran away from the shooting scene.

According to police, the security guard allegedly witnessed the teen shooter with a handgun and “ordered him to the ground.” The security guard then detained the teen until officers arrived.

When officers took the teen into custody, they recovered a black 9 mm handgun from the teen, according to police.

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Other responding officers searched the mall and found a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his ankle, police said.

Police applied a tourniquet to the boy, according to first responder radio transmissions, and he was transported by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews to Children’s National in Washington, D.C.

Investigators reviewing surveillance footage from the mall determined that the shooting occurred around 5:58 p.m. as a group of teens walked past the alleged shooter, who was seated at a table near Cinnabon, police said. As they passed by, the teen stood up and fired at the group. He then fled the scene toward Dick’s Sporting Goods.

After the shooting, county police held a press conference outside of the mall. Captain David Smith, Commander of the county’s 4th District in Wheaton, told reporters that the incident was isolated and the 13-year-old boy was in stable condition.

Smith added that Friday night’s shooting was something county police “hate to see” and that the department has kept a “high” focus on preventing gun violence and recovery of illegal firearms. Under Maryland law, a person must be 21 years old to own a handgun.

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Following his arrest, the teen was taken to the county’s Central Processing Unit in Rockville, where he remains until a bond hearing, police said.

Due to the alleged shooter being a minor, all court documents and records are shielded from public view. It is unclear when his bond hearing will be scheduled. Typically, such hearings are held on the next business day after an incident, which is Monday.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine