Man charged with firing gun outside Northtown Mall, where people inside were ordered to take cover

A 20-year-old man was charged Tuesday with firing off several rounds from a handgun outside a Blaine shopping mall, where weekend shoppers and employees inside were ordered to take cover.

Maurice Eugene Neylon, 20, of Anoka, was charged in Anoka County District Court with two felonies: discharging a dangerous weapon and reckless threats of violence in connection with the gunfire mid-afternoon Sunday outside the Northtown Mall.

Neylon was arrested in Spring Lake Park on the day of the shooting and remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of a court appearance on Oct. 7. His attorney was not immediately available to respond to the the allegations.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were alerted to the gunfire shortly after 3 p.m. at the mall just off Hwy. 10 and east of Hwy. 47. At first believing the shooting occurred inside the mall, law enforcement instructed people inside to seek refuge in stores and clear the hallways.

Moments later, the gunfire was determined to have occurred outside the mall, with at least one bullet hitting a display case inside.

Mall security video captured Neylon exiting the mall on his own along with four others together and going to the parking lot where the shots were fired.

Officers collected eight 9-millimeter bullet casings in the the parking lot.