A man who opened fire at a New Jersey shopping mall was discovered dead by authorities from a self-inflicted gunshot wound early Tuesday morning, CNN reported.
Richard Shoop, 20, fired at least six shots at the Garden State Plaza mall around 9:20 p.m. Monday night, hours before committing suicide. No one else was injured in the shooting.
Officials say he acted alone.
"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," including a group nearby, but he didn't, Molinelli added. "Instead, he shot randomly at different locations."
Bullets hit the ceiling, an escalator, an elevator, and a storefront.
Though Shoop's motive remains unclear, he was known to authorities for selling and using drugs. He also left a note behind that said the "end was coming," the prosecutor said. "That could mean going to jail, getting arrested, or it could mean suicide."
According to authorities, a family member called police after news of the shooting because they thought it might be Shoop.
Dressed in all black and a motorcycle helmet, Shoop raided the mall with rifle designed to look like an AK-47, while Molinelli said he took from his brother.
Allie Cozic, a mall employee, described the scene as chaotic and said the thousands of people still left in the mall were "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."
