Suspect 'neutralized' after deadly shooting at Clackamas Town Center
Shooter killed himself.
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 4:29 PM
Updated
today at 5:03 PM
PORTLAND – At least one person was killed in a shooting inside the Clackamas Town Center mall Tuesday and a suspect was "neutralized," deputies said. At least one person was killed.
Clackamas County Sheriff's deputies said it was an "active shooting call" around 3:30 p.m. and urged people to stay away from the area. Lieutenant James Rhodes said the suspect had been "neutralized" at a news conference just before 5 p.m.
The Oregonian was reporting that two people were dead and that around 60 shots were fired. Deputies confirmed there were fatalities, but confirmed no further details.
No information on the suspect's identity was released. Police did not think there were any other suspects.
Deputies were asking for any witnesses to contact police.
At least three people were hit, according to American Medical Response, after ten to 15 shots were fired by a person in a hockey mask. One patient was taken to the hospital, AMR said.
Witnesses said the suspect was wearing what looked like body armor and a white mask. They said he fired a rifle several times until it jammed and he the dropped a magazine onto the floor, then ran into the Macy's store.
The mall exit from Interstate 205 was closed by police.
KGW reporter Abbey Gibb said people were crying and shaking as they come out of the mall.
“It’s surreal, even as a reporter, seeing this,” she said. Gibb said officers with guns drawn were outside the Macy's.
Dax McMillan, a former police officer, said a friend of his was right next to one of the victims.
“It was just shot after shot after shot. It was terrible. It was like a massacre,” witness Kira Rowland said.
Witness Benjamin Christensen, who works in the mall, said he was also there when the shooting began. He heard one shot, then six or seven more. He then began helping to evacuate others out of the rear exits.
“There were just cops everywhere and sirens and ambulances coming in. I hope everyone is okay,” said a shopper named Isabel, who fled after the shooting. “It’s so close to a holiday. It’s terrible.”
Another witness told KGW she heard several gunshots near Nordstrom, before people ran for cover.
“A deputy is about 50 yards away from me. He has a shotgun out, he’s hiding behind a car,” said John Canzano, a well-known local sports columnist who happened to be at the mall.
Canzano said all the store security cages were immediately closed.
Reporter Pat Dooris described a heavy police and emergency vehicle presence as well as "a lot of chaos." One witness told him security forces helped shoppers get down to the ground and out of site after the shots were fired.
“All of the sudden, I just heard a series of
gunshots… boom, boom, boom, boom, boom… whatever the shooter was
shooting at, they continued to shoot,” said shopper Bill Hoff.
No comments:
Post a Comment