ROCKFORD — A man was shot and killed Friday afternoon outside CherryVale Mall, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana reported.

Caruana said Cherry Valley Police responded to the mall around 4 p.m. in response to a shooting at the south entrance near Macy’s.

Officers found the victim in his car parked on an embankment behind the Schnuck’s grocery store in the shopping complex. The victim’s identity is currently being withheld.

“The mall is safe and secure,” Caruana told reporters at a news briefing at CherryVale. The sheriff said that at no point was the mall closed or put on lockdown status.

Details about the incident are minimal, however. Caruana said the shooting appeared to be a “drive-behind” but no information was made available on a possible suspect vehicle.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department detective’s bureau at 815-319-6000 or Rockford Area Crime Stoppers at 815-963-7867.

This story has been updated.