One person dead following early-morning shooting off North Academy Boulevard

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO13) --  A man is dead after a shooting near the intersection of North Academy Boulevard and Galley Road.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), it happened around 2:37 Friday morning in the Crossroads@Citadel shopping plaza. When police arrived on scene, the victim was no longer there; however, they learned that someone had been shot but left the scene in a vehicle.

It's unclear whether the victim drove himself to a hospital or if someone took him there.

Just before 3 a.m., police received a call from the hospital that a man had arrived with a gunshot wound; he died before officers arrived.

CSPD says they are still gathering information and are working to determine whether the shooting took place in the parking lot or inside a nearby building.

Right now, police say no one is in custody. CSPD's Homicide Unit is investigating.

Police say they're still trying to get more details to hammer out a suspect description and learn the motive for the shooting.

Officers sealed off a large section of the shopping center's parking lot, including entrances and driveways; police cars were strategically placed at several points, and some officers shined flashlights on and around storefronts.

At daylight, dozens of evidence markers were visible in the upper parking lot as crime scene technicians snapped photographs and gathered evidence.

By 10:30 a.m., police removed most of the crime scene tape but continued the on-scene investigation.

Until then, employees and customers couldn't enter the plaza, and some patiently waited nearby.

Iris Vaylosis walks through the area daily and was disturbed by the shooting.

"I'm a single person, and you know, when I see things like this, it just blows your mind," she said. "A fatal shooting or people dying — there's too many people dying already. We don't need that. We need peace."

This is a developing story as we work to gather more information.