NJ Mall Gunman Found Dead

Richard Shoop died of self-inflicted wounds, officials say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 5, 2013 12:13 AM CST
Updated Nov 5, 2013 5:03 AM CST
Shots Fired in NJ Mall
Authorities work the scene at Garden State Plaza Mall after there were reports of multiple shots being fired inside the mall.   (AP Photo/News 12 New Jersey)

A suspect believed to have fired several shots in a northern New Jersey mall last night has been found dead inside the mall after a huge manhunt, and officials are telling the AP that he died of self-inflicted bullet wounds. Nobody else was injured in the incident at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, but hundreds of law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene were unable to find the gunman for hours after the mall was locked down, the AP reports. Police identified Richard Shoop, 20, as a suspect and raided his home hours after the incident, reports the New York Daily News.

Witnesses described panic after the man entered the mall in a biker helmet and leather jacket, carrying a large gun. "It was almost like when you're watching a horror movie and the killer is walking slowly—that's what it seemed like," a mall worker tells CNN. "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." (More New Jersey stories.)

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