A man has died in a shooting at a shopping mall in central Florida in which the victim was apparently "targeted" for the attack, police say.

Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken told reporters on Saturday evening the man was killed after he was shot multiple times in a common area at Paddock Mall in Ocala, about 128km northwest of Orlando.

A woman was shot in the leg, police said.

The suspect fled the scene and left behind the firearm, Balken said.

Police arrived at the mall about 3.40pm on Saturday after reports of multiple shots being fired.

"Officers immediately made entry into the mall (and) ultimately discovered that this was not what we would consider an active shooter," Balken told reporters.

Several other mall patrons also suffered injuries during the shooting, with one person having chest pain and another reporting a broken arm, police said.

The mall's owner, WPG, has been contacted for comment.

Calvin and Diana Amos, who were shopping in the mall's JC Penney store, told the Ocala Star-Banner they evacuated the store quickly once they figured out what was going on.