Gunfire erupted in a mall in suburban Baltimore late this morning, resulting in three confirmed dead, including the suspected gunman.
According to the Associated Press, via Fox News, the Howard County Fire and Emergency Services Department tweeted at 11:25 a.m. that police and a rescue team were responding to “an active shooter” at the Mall in Columbia in Maryland. It is still not known how many shoppers or workers may have been at the scene.
Police subsequently reported that one body was found located near a gun and ammunition and that the scene was “believed to be secure” as of 12:36 p.m.
A second report according to CNN affiliate WBAL via Weasel Zippers indicates that the shootings took place on the second floor of the mall. Local scanner reports had authorities requesting multiple mass casualty units.
Images on Twitter reportedly from the scene showed mall employees and customers hiding in a stock room. The mall was on lockdown. Another Twitter image reportedly from the scene showed a bullet-riddled wall.
The Maryland mall is at the center of the town, a suburb of both Baltimore and Washington.
More details will be provided as the story develops.
