Teen Charged As Adult In Wheaton Mall Shooting That Injured 13-Year-Old

WHEATON, MD — A 17-year-old from Silver Spring has been charged as an adult after police said he opened fire inside Wheaton Mall, injuring a 13-year-old boy.

According to Montgomery County police, officers responded to the mall at 11160 Veirs Mill Rd. around 6 p.m. Friday after receiving reports of an active shooter.

Before officers arrived, police said the county's emergency communications center received more than 23 calls reporting that a person dressed in black was firing at people on the mall's second level.

Officers entered the mall through the lower level and found the suspect, identified as Diego Rafael Turcios Avalos, lying on the floor outside the entrance to Dick's Sporting Goods. Police took him into custody and also recovered a gun.

As officers searched the mall, authorities said they found a 13-year-old boy near a Cinnabon store and a children's play area, where children were actively playing at the time. The boy was taken to a hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to the ankle.

Detectives reviewed surveillance video and determined Turcios Avalos was seated near the Cinnabon when a group of teenagers walked past him shortly before 6 p.m. Police said he then stood up, pulled out a handgun and fired at the group.

After the shooting, investigators said Turcios Avalos ran toward Dick's Sporting Goods, where an armed security officer saw him with the gun, ordered him to the ground and detained him until police arrived.

Turcios Avalos is charged with attempted second-degree murder, 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.

He is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit pending a bond hearing.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.