A gunman who opened fire at a New Jersey mall Monday night later holed up in a back room and shot himself in the head, authorities say.
No one else was injured in the mall shooting.
Richard Shoop’s body was found at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday in an obscure part of Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, hours after he fired at least six bullets without striking anyone in the massive shopping center.
He acted alone, authorities say.
Mall shooter found dead Gunfire at New Jersey mall, shooter dead Witness: Really didn’t know what to do
“We know that his intent was either suicide or to do something that would cause police to shoot him, which we call ‘suicide by cop,'” Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli told CNN’s “New Day.”
“He had more than enough opportunity to be able to shoot other people,” including a group adjacent to him, but he didn’t, Molinelli said. “Instead, he shot randomly at different locations.”
Shots hit the ceiling, an escalator, an elevator and a storefront, the prosecutor said.
The reasons for the shooting remain unclear. Shoop used narcotic drugs and sold drugs as well, Molinelli said.
Warns Jewish state running out of time as Tehran goes nuclear Israel does not have much time to make a “fateful decision” about whether to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton said Sunday in a radio interview. “Israel, I think, now faces the fateful decision whether it will allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, thus constituting a true existential threat to Israel,” he said. “Or whether they will strike as the Israelis have done twice before against nuclear programs in the hands of hostile states,” Bolton told WABC Radio’s Aaron Klein. (Click on the screen below to listen to Bolton’s comments:) “I don’t think Israel has much time,” Bolton continued. “Frankly, they should have done this years ago because we all know intelligence is imperfect and Iran may have a more developed capacity than we know about, perhaps in cooperation with North Korea.” Bolton spoke amid U.S. outreach to Iran and amid reports Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced Saturday they are committed to the slogan, “Death to America.” The former U.N. ambassador reacted to a statement by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who said Thursday the while U.S. has “implemented unprecedented sanctions and pressure on Iran, we may very well have to use military force to back up our policy.” Bolton retorted: “If there is anybody left in Israel who thinks that the U.S. will use military force against Iran’s program, they really need to seriously re-examine their basic values. It isn’t going to happen under the Obama administration. I’ll just say it again. It isn’t going to happen.” The alleged Los Angeles International Airport gunman carried a note with him today that expressed anti-government sentiments and suggested he expected to die in an airport shootout, according to law enforcement sources. The suspect has been identified by the FBI as Paul Ciancia, 23. He is believed to have homes in Los Angeles and Pennsville, N.J. The note found at the scene ended with the letters “NWO,” according to law enforcement sources, which is believed to stand for “New World Order.” Law enforcement sources also said a large number of .223 caliber rounds were found at the airport. Officers followed Ciancia to the rear of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 3, where he was shot and taken into custody, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti. David Bowdich of the FBI said Ciancia is receiving medical attention at a hospital. The TSA confirmed the identity of the officer killed as Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, who has been with the TSA since 2010. Suspect’s Family Feared He Was SuicidalBOLTON: ISRAEL MUST MAKE ‘FATEFUL DECISION’ ON IRAN STRIKE
LAX SHOOTER, CONSPIRACY, WEBSITES, EQUALS = MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL?