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.
Richard Shoop, 20, 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 said Shoop had a history of drug abuse and drug dealing, “which may very well have been the reason why he ultimately chose to do what he did last night,” Molinelli said on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” program.
Officials found Shoop’s body in the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus at about 3:20 a.m. EST (0820 GMT).
Molinelli said it appeared Shoop went into the mall with the intention of committing suicide, not to hurt others.
“He left a note,” Molinelli said. “It’s a bit ambiguous. I’m hesitant to say it’s a suicide note. It does express that an end is coming. It could have been prison. It could have been what he did last night.”
