Gunman kills himself after opening fire in New Jersey mall

By Barbara Goldberg

PARAMUS, New Jersey | Tue Nov 5, 2013 7:44am EST

(Reuters) - A gunman opened fire in a crowded New Jersey mall late on Monday before killing himself, officials said, sparking a mass evacuation of the complex by police who did not realize he was dead for several hours.

The man shot at least six rounds from a modified rifle seemingly at random and without hitting anyone, before turning the gun on himself in a back area of the mall, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli told a news conference early on Tuesday.

Authorities named the dead man as 20-year-old Richard Shoop and said he had a history of drug abuse. Officials found his body in the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus at around 3:20 a.m. local time (0820 GMT).

Police backed by dozens of cruisers had earlier evacuated thousands of people from the mall and launched a manhunt after shoppers reported hearing gunshots sometime after 9 p.m, said Chief of Staff at Bergen County Jeanne Baratta.

Najee Waters, 19, of East Rutherford, New Jersey, was at his sales job at an H&M clothing store when he heard what sounded like two shots ring out.

FULL STORY: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/05/us-usa-shooting-newjersey...