A gunman who opened fire at a New Jersey mall Monday night
later holed up in a back room and shot himself in the head, authorities say.
No one else was injured in the mall shooting.
Richard Shoop's body was found at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday in an obscure
part of Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, hours after he fired at least six
bullets without striking anyone in the massive shopping center.
He acted alone, authorities say.
"We know that his intent was either suicide
or to do something that would cause police to shoot him, which we call 'suicide
by cop,' " Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli told CNN's "New
Day."
"He had more than enough opportunity to be able to shoot
other people," including a group adjacent to him, but he didn't, Molinelli
said. "Instead, he shot randomly at different locations."
Shots hit the ceiling, an escalator, an elevator and a storefront,
the prosecutor said.
The reasons for the shooting remain unclear. Shoop used narcotic
drugs and sold drugs as well, Molinelli said.
And he left behind a note referring to the idea that the "end
was coming," Molinelli said. "That could mean going to jail, getting
arrested, or it could mean suicide." Authorities don't know whether Shoop
left the note immediately before going to the mall.
Shoop's brother, Kevin, called authorities after hearing about the
shooting and said he thought Shoop might be the gunman, Molinelli said. Police
did not confirm the shooter's identity until they found his body.
"My brother intended to harm nobody else but himself,"
Kevin Shoop said Tuesday. "He just, sadly, decided to make ... an act of
self-indulgence by taking his own life publicly. And it's a tragedy to us
all."
Pandemonium
The melee started about 9:20 p.m. ET Monday night, just as the
shopping center was about to close. Thousands of people were still in the mall,
Molinelli said.
Shoop, dressed all in black and wearing a motorcycle helmet,
walked through the mall with a rifle modified to look like an AK-47. The rifle
was taken from Shoop's brother, Molinelli said.
Allie Cozic, who works in the mall, said everyone was
"running to wherever they could."
"It was almost like
when you're watching a horror movie and the killer is walking slowly. That's
what it seemed like," she said. "He was wearing all black. It almost
looked like body armor of some kind. As soon as I saw the gun, I just turned
and ran."
Eddie Kahmann, another mall employee, said he heard six or seven
gunshots.
"There was just people running like crazy, so I quickly just
closed my doors, ran to the back, turned off all the lights, music and
everything, just to stay hidden," he said.
The shooting sent panic through the mall and set off a frenzied
hunt for the gunman. In the early hours of the search, officials weren't sure
whether the shooter was still inside or outside the 2 million-square-foot
building.
Officers did not fire any shots, Molinelli said, and there was
only slight damage to the mall.
Even as Shoop's body lay in a remote room in a construction area,
fear still permeated the mall.
More than 100 shoppers were still hiding inside stores early
Tuesday morning, unsure of whether they could safely come out. Officers worked
to evacuate each store.
Signs of trouble
Shoop, 20, was known by local law enforcement. He had a history of
drug use and abuse, Molinelli said.
"He at least thought that he was reaching a point where there
was no recourse but to take his own life," Molinelli said.
The owner of a pizza shop where Shoop has been working for about a
year said the young man has been a good, trustworthy worker. Dod Geges, owner
of Victor's Pizza Shop, describes Shoop as a nice, quiet guy.
But in the last two weeks, "something was off" about
Shoop, Geges said, adding that he "wasn't his usual self."
Geges' brother Robert Gega, who manages the restaurant, said Shoop
was working 60 hours a week and "sobering up."
"He wasn't drinking or drugging," Gega said, adding that
Shoop had good friends and never gave an indication of contemplating suicide.
"He would never hurt anyone."
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