Shoppers and employees ran screaming through the mall and barricaded themselves in dressing rooms after hearing gunfire. The gunman was found dead on the third floor of the Von Maur department store.
Photo Gallery: Bloodbath in Omaha
Nati Harnik, AP
One man said he initially thought the gunfire was noise from a nearby construction site. “People started screaming about gunshots,” he said. “I grabbed my wife and kids. We got out of there as fast as we could.” Source: AP
Nati Harnik, AP
A gunman murdered eight people at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday before turning the gun on himself. Police say five others were injured, two critically.
Nati Harnik, AP
Police quickly placed the building on lockdown and evacuated shoppers in groups. The gunman was found dead on the third floor of the Von Maur department store. Witnesses reported hearing more than 20 shots.
Kevin Kleine, 29, who was shopping with her 4-year-old daughter, said she hid in a dressing room with four other shoppers and an employee.
“My knees rocked. I didn’t know what to do, so I just ran with everybody else,” Kleine said.
Keith Fidler, a Von Maur employee, said he heard a burst of five to six shots followed by 15 to 20 more rounds. Fidler said he huddled in the corner of the men’s clothing department with about a dozen other employees until police yelled to get out of the store.
A witness, 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.”
Shortly after the shooting, a group of shoppers came out of the building with their hands raised. Some were still holding shopping bags.
President Bush was in town Wednesday for a fundraiser in Omaha, but left about an hour before the shooting.
The sprawling, three-level mall has more than 135 stores and restaurants, according to the Web site for General Growth Properties, the manager of the mall. It gets 14.5 million visitors every year, according to the Web site.
