9 Dead in Omaha mall shootings


		9 Dead in Omaha mall shootings (Top Posts - Social/Legal - 120507) - - - When I heard about this, via tuning in to an MSNBC news broadcast, I was, at first, un- aware that this had occurred in my daughter's home town. Upon realizing that it had, my first reaction was fear. Even though the odds that she would've been hurt were slim, being that she's in school, still, fear of what might be took place. Then, realizing the odds, I was somewhat comforted that certainly, no one I knew would have been likely to have been hurt. The death toll, originally at 2, grew to 9 while I was talk- ing to my daughter after she got out from school. The mall, one I had been to when I lived in Omaha, the newest most upscale mall in the area. My daughter said she had been in the store where the shootings occurred, quite some time ago, and didn't plan to return be- cause their merchandise was out of her price range. Condolences to all those impacted by this tragedy. - - - 9 dead, including suspect, in Omaha mall shooting DAILY NEWS STAFF Wednesday, December 5th 2007, 5:21 PM http://tinyurl.com/2eva4o - - - Complete article: Terrified shoppers huddle in the frigid cold outside the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb. The mall was evacuated following a shooting spree. A gunman opened fire Wednesday at mall in Omaha, Neb., killing eight people and wounding five others before committing suicide, police said. Terrified holiday shoppers and workers at the Westroads Mall ran for cover, hiding in store dressing rooms, as shots ran out. "There are a total of 14 people injured. Nine of those people are deceased," police Sgt. Teresa Negron told reporters. She said the dead included the lone shooter, a man who suffered an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses described the suspect as a man wear- ing Army fatigues or camouflage. Negron would only say that the shooter was male. Two of the wounded were in critical condition, Negron said. Most of the victims were shot inside the Von Maur department store, she said. At least two witnesses said the shooter appeared to be firing at random rather than targeting anyone specifically. Shopper Shawn Vidlak said he heard four or five rapid shots "like a nail gun." At first he thought it was noise from construction work going on at the mall. "People started screaming about gunshots," Vidlak said. "I grabbed my wife and kids we got out of there as fast as we could." A woman who answered the phone at an Old Navy store during the height of the drama said 20 to 30 customers were huddled with employees in a back storeroom. "All we know was people were running and scream- ing down the hallway by Von Maur saying there was a shooting, and then they locked us down," said the woman, who said her name was Heidi. Police went from store to store, evacuating the mall. Shoppers, some clutching bags and packages, ran out with their hands in the air so police could ssee they were unarmed. President Bush was in town Wednesday for a fund- raiser in Omaha, but left about an hour before the shooting. - - - end of article - - -