February 11, 2009 5:21 PM
- Text
Teen Kills 5 At Salt Lake City Mall
(CBS/AP)
A historic mall's winding hallways became a shooting gallery for an 18-year-old gunman in a trench coat who fired a shotgun randomly at customers, killing five and wounding four before being killed by police, authorities and witnesses said.
The shooter, who was from the Salt Lake City area, also was armed with a handgun and had several rounds of ammunition, Salt Lake City police Detective Robin Snyder said early Tuesday. She said his name would be released later Tuesday. No motive has yet been determined, she said.
Killed were two 28-year-old women, a 52-year-old man, a 24-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl, Snyder said. Four people were hospitalized — a man and a woman in critical condition and two men in serious condition, Snyder said.
For hours after Monday evening's rampage at the Trolley Square shopping mall, police searched stores for scared, shocked shoppers and employees who were hunkered down awaiting a safe escort.
"I heard shots. I couldn't believe I was hearing shots in that mall," Barrett Dodds, who runs an antique store, told CBS' The Early Show.
Dodds, 29, said the shooter was "taking time to aim" and, more eerily, "he had a smile on his face."
After hearing a big crash and seeing glass spray across the mall, Brad Merrill, who was at the mall with his four children to celebrate one of their birthdays, said he saw the man walk by with a shotgun.
"He paused and looked around — looked at me — and then started walking briskly towards the stairs," Merrill told The Early Show.
"I was just stunned," Merrill said.
Dodds said he saw the gunman exchanging gunfire with a police officer outside a card store. The gunman, he said, was backed into a children's clothing store.
"I saw the shooter go down," said Dodds, who watched from the second floor.
Marie Smith, 23, a Bath & Body Works manager, saw the gunman through the store window. She watched as he raised his gun and fired at a young woman approaching him from behind.
"His expression stayed totally calm. He didn't seem upset, or like he was on a rampage," said Smith, who crawled to safety in an employee restroom to hide with others. She said the gunman looked like "an average Joe."
The shooter, who was from the Salt Lake City area, also was armed with a handgun and had several rounds of ammunition, Salt Lake City police Detective Robin Snyder said early Tuesday. She said his name would be released later Tuesday. No motive has yet been determined, she said.
Killed were two 28-year-old women, a 52-year-old man, a 24-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl, Snyder said. Four people were hospitalized — a man and a woman in critical condition and two men in serious condition, Snyder said.
For hours after Monday evening's rampage at the Trolley Square shopping mall, police searched stores for scared, shocked shoppers and employees who were hunkered down awaiting a safe escort.
"I heard shots. I couldn't believe I was hearing shots in that mall," Barrett Dodds, who runs an antique store, told CBS' The Early Show.
Dodds, 29, said the shooter was "taking time to aim" and, more eerily, "he had a smile on his face."
After hearing a big crash and seeing glass spray across the mall, Brad Merrill, who was at the mall with his four children to celebrate one of their birthdays, said he saw the man walk by with a shotgun.
"He paused and looked around — looked at me — and then started walking briskly towards the stairs," Merrill told The Early Show.
"I was just stunned," Merrill said.
Dodds said he saw the gunman exchanging gunfire with a police officer outside a card store. The gunman, he said, was backed into a children's clothing store.
"I saw the shooter go down," said Dodds, who watched from the second floor.
Marie Smith, 23, a Bath & Body Works manager, saw the gunman through the store window. She watched as he raised his gun and fired at a young woman approaching him from behind.
"His expression stayed totally calm. He didn't seem upset, or like he was on a rampage," said Smith, who crawled to safety in an employee restroom to hide with others. She said the gunman looked like "an average Joe."
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