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Thunder players evacuated from mall after shooting

By Alex Butler
Steven Adams (12) was one of several Oklahoma City Thunder players evacuated from a mall following a shooting Thursday in Oklahoma City. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI
Steven Adams (12) was one of several Oklahoma City Thunder players evacuated from a mall following a shooting Thursday in Oklahoma City. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Players from the Oklahoma City Thunder were among those evacuated from an Oklahoma City mall following a shooting.

The incident occurred Thursday at Penn Square Mall, hours before the Thunder faced the Memphis Grizzlies. The players were not harmed.

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"Thunder security was made aware immediately," the team said in a statement. "The team was never in any danger and was safe during the entirety of the event."

The mall was temporarily closed after the shooting. Police said the victim of the shooting was in critical condition after being shot in the chest.

Elizha Sanders, 24, was taken into police custody and booked into jail at 2:28 a.m. EST Friday. Sanders has been charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Sources told The Oklahoman and TMZ Sports that the Thunder players were at the mall's movie theater for a private screening of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The Thunder beat the Grizzlies 126-122 Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, about eight miles from the scene of the shooting. They will host the Phoenix Suns at 8 p.m. EST Friday.

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