Gunman who opened fire in New Jersey mall found dead

On Monday night, Richard Shoop walked into the large Westfield Garden State Plaza mall carrying a gun. He fired around 6 shots, but did not hurt anyone in the mall. “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 said. He had more than enough opportunity to be able to shoot other people. Instead, he shot randomly at different locations.”

Early Tuesday morning, Shoop’s body was found in a back room of the mall, and authorities say he appeared to have shot himself in the head. The motive behind the incident is still unclear, but Molinelli said that Shoop had a history with using and selling drugs. He also said that Shoop left behind a note that read, the “end was coming.” “That could mean going to jail, getting arrested, or it could mean suicide,” said Molinelli.

Thousands of people were still in the mall when Shoop walked in. Mall worker Allie Cozic said that when everyone heard that there was an armed man in the building, they started “running to wherever they could.” “It was almost like when you’re watching a horror movie and the killer is walking slowly — that’s what it seemed like,” she said. “He was wearing all black — it almost looked like body armor of some kind. As soon as I saw the gun, I just turned and ran.” Many people in the mall took cover for several hours until authorities said it was safe to come out.