Updated Jan. 25, 2014 3:10 p.m. ET
Police and fire personnel escorted shoppers out of a Maryland mall after a gunman killed three people, including himself. EPA
COLUMBIA, Md.—A shooter killed two people at a suburban shopping mall here Saturday before apparently committing suicide, police said.
Maryland police say three people died in a shooting at the Mall in Columbia, a suburb outside of Baltimore. Photo: AP
Calls of shots fired at the Mall in Columbia were received about 11:15 a.m., Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said at an afternoon news conference. Emergency responders found three bodies in an upper-level store, he said.
"Right now, we think that one of the deceased is, in fact, the shooter," Mr. McMahon said. Earlier, police said on Twitter that one of the bodies was found near a gun and ammunition.
Mr. McMahon didn't identify the age or genders of the victims. Police didn't immediately know the motive behind the shooting, he said.
"We are very confident that it was a single shooter," Mr. McMahon said.
The mall was put in lockdown. More than two hours after the shooting, SWAT team officers were still combing through the mall looking for witnesses and escorting out shoppers and employees.
The shopping center is a popular destination in the center of Columbia, a suburb between Baltimore and Washington. It opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, according to its website.
The Mall in Columbia website
"This has obviously been a tremendously trying few hours," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said.
Mr. Ulman told CNN that the shooting took place in a "skateboard store" above the food court.
Immediately after the shooting, Howard County authorities used Twitter to advise people inside the mall to seek safety and to send out frequent updates for the public.
"Police are in mall to clear people out safely. Mall is believed to be secure, but people inside should wait for police," Howard County police tweeted about 12:30 p.m.
Roger Aseneta, the manager of an Auntie Anne's pretzel shop in the mall, said he and two employees were in the lower-level store when he heard gunshots from the floor above them.
People in the nearby food court scattered, knocking over drinks and food. Mr. Aseneta and his employees ran into the back room of the shop, where they watched the chaos unfold on a security-camera monitor.
Mr. Aseneta, 52 years old, said he was "big-time scared."
"You only see this on the news or in the movies," he said. "This is like a live thing."
After about six shots, the shooting stopped, he said. Roughly 15 minutes later, police knocked on the door and escorted him and his co-workers out of the mall.
Police and fire personnel escorted shoppers out of a Maryland mall after a gunman killed three people, including himself. EPA
COLUMBIA, Md.—A shooter killed two people at a suburban shopping mall here Saturday before apparently committing suicide, police said.
Maryland police say three people died in a shooting at the Mall in Columbia, a suburb outside of Baltimore. Photo: AP
Calls of shots fired at the Mall in Columbia were received about 11:15 a.m., Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said at an afternoon news conference. Emergency responders found three bodies in an upper-level store, he said.
"Right now, we think that one of the deceased is, in fact, the shooter," Mr. McMahon said. Earlier, police said on Twitter that one of the bodies was found near a gun and ammunition.
Mr. McMahon didn't identify the age or genders of the victims. Police didn't immediately know the motive behind the shooting, he said.
"We are very confident that it was a single shooter," Mr. McMahon said.
The mall was put in lockdown. More than two hours after the shooting, SWAT team officers were still combing through the mall looking for witnesses and escorting out shoppers and employees.
The shopping center is a popular destination in the center of Columbia, a suburb between Baltimore and Washington. It opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, according to its website.
The Mall in Columbia website
"This has obviously been a tremendously trying few hours," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said.
Mr. Ulman told CNN that the shooting took place in a "skateboard store" above the food court.
Immediately after the shooting, Howard County authorities used Twitter to advise people inside the mall to seek safety and to send out frequent updates for the public.
"Police are in mall to clear people out safely. Mall is believed to be secure, but people inside should wait for police," Howard County police tweeted about 12:30 p.m.
Roger Aseneta, the manager of an Auntie Anne's pretzel shop in the mall, said he and two employees were in the lower-level store when he heard gunshots from the floor above them.
People in the nearby food court scattered, knocking over drinks and food. Mr. Aseneta and his employees ran into the back room of the shop, where they watched the chaos unfold on a security-camera monitor.
Mr. Aseneta, 52 years old, said he was "big-time scared."
"You only see this on the news or in the movies," he said. "This is like a live thing."
After about six shots, the shooting stopped, he said. Roughly 15 minutes later, police knocked on the door and escorted him and his co-workers out of the mall.
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