9 Dead at Omaha Shopping Mall Shooting

Another sensless act of violence. Here is another story with some witness accounts and more information about the shooter.

Source: http://www.ketv.com/news/14782867/detail.html

Omaha police said nine people were dead, including the alleged shooter,
after shots were fired inside the Von Maur store at Westroads Mall on
Wednesday afternoon.

Five more were injured, two critically,
police said. Police asked family members to go to the Hampton Inn at
Westroads to learn more from police. The police chaplain was seen
arriving there after 4 p.m. Wednesday to meet with family members and
officers who responded.At 4:30 p.m., Rollie Yost, in the Sarpy
County Sheriff's Office, said shortly after the shooting, a woman
walked into its office with a note that "could be interpreted as
suicidal."

Yost said the note is believed to be connected to the
Westroads shooting. Yost said the note contained information from a
19-year-old man.Yost said Sarpy County is working with Omaha police.Omaha
police Sgt. Teresa Negron said there are nine fatalities. She said
officers found the suspected shooter dead of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound. Negron could not describe the shooter, but said he was a male.
Negron said most of the victims were inside Von Maur.Creighton
University Medical Center said it had three victims and two were
fatalities.

The dead were a man and a woman, and no further details
were released.The Nebraska Medical Center said it has three
gunshot victims, all wounded but alive. Paul Vaultus, at NMC, said a
61-year-old man was shot in the chest and was in surgery before 3:45
p.m. A 34-year-old man had a wound and was in fair condition. A
55-year-old man had cuts to the face.

Police said they believe the gunman used a rifle. Police said he was found on the third floor.Negron
said every available officer in the city was sent to the mall, and it
took six minutes from the time of the call for the first officers to
arrive. She said that at 4 p.m., officers were inside the mall talking
to every person inside.

The Von Maur corporate headquarters in
Davenport, Iowa, sent a statement to media: "We are deeply saddened by
the horrific shooting at our Omaha store this afternoon. Our thoughts
and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event, as well as their
families. We are cooperating fully with the Omaha and Nebraska state
police departments."

The Omaha Fire Department's Robert Dahlquist
said his units were responsible for taking seven victims from the
scene. He said two of those people died at hospital. The gunman was not
among those transported.

Witness Accounts Vary

Shoppers and workers scattered and took cover, police and witnesses said.A
Westroads kiosk worker, Kathy, told KETV NewsWatch 7 that she heard
three pops. She said a Bath and Body Works manager approached her and
told her to get out of the mall hallway as there was a situation, and a
shooter had not been located.Another witness said he heard four
or five shots in rapid succession. Shawn Vidlak said he was told while
he was inside the mall that as many as five people had been injured.

Colby
Barak told KETV NewsWatch 7 that she was on lockdown inside Westroads
Mall. She said she was doing Christmas shopping at Younkers, and an
announcement was made that no one would be allowed to leave. Just
before 2 p.m., Barrett said, another announcement was made that
shoppers could leave but would not be allowed back in.

A group of paramedics made their way into Von Maur at about 2:25 p.m.Doug, a shopper at the mall, said police are restricting the movements of people inside the mall.Outside the mall, shoppers were seen leaving with their hands over their heads.Inside
a first-floor dressing room at Von Maur, Julie used her cell phone to
call KETV NewsWatch 7 and report that she was with a group of girls and
they were scared.

Julie said she heard noise getting closer, but she
didn't know what had happened. She said she went out of the dressing
room and saw other people in the store running and laying down, so she
went back into the dressing room.Omaha Burke High School was locked down for a time, but has since reopened.President
George W. Bush had been in Omaha earlier on Wednesday, but the
president's flight lifted off about an hour before the shooting reports
came in.

Grenade Found Last Week At Same Mall

A grenade was found Friday night at an Omaha shopping mall.Officers
went to the northwest corner of the parking lot at Westroads Mall after
someone reported finding an explosive device. The mall security
directed officers to the area of the parking lot where the device was
located.

The Omaha Police Bomb Squad Unit was called and removed the
intact grenade safely from the area.A source told KETV NewsWatch
7 the grenade was lying on the ground with no note or information, but
that it did have a pin in it. The source said it looked like a
pineapple grenade.No one has connected the grenade and the shootings.

Source: http://www.ketv.com/news/14782867/detail.html