A 20-year-old man died of a self-inflicted wound inside the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J., Monday night, after firing multiple shots, causing panic among shoppers and drawing hundreds of police to the area.
CNN and NBC News reported that the shooter’s body was found inside the mall. The Associated Press said the shooting suspect, Richard Shoop of Teaneck, left a note.
The man, who was reportedly dressed in black and wearing a motorcycle helmet, began shooting around the mall’s closing time of 9:30 p.m., authorities told AP.
“He was fully armored head to toe, like he planned this. Like it’s not like a random thing,” a male shopper told NBC New York. The shopper did not want to give his name to the station.
John Molinelli, a prosecutor at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, told AP that Shoop died from a wound from his own weapon.
No one else was injured, although the suspect had ample opportunity to do more harm and chose not to, Mr. Molinelli said in a televised press conference.
The mall will remain closed on Tuesday as police investigate further.
