Gunman Opens Fire at Trolley Square; Six Dead
A man wearing a trench coat and toting a shotgun walked into a crowded Trolley Square tonight in Salt Lake City and opened fire. He killed five people before he was shot and killed.
"I was working and all of a sudden I heard a shot and I saw security run by. I didn't really know what was going on. People just started running," a witness named Maya said.
Five shoppers were killed. Others were wounded. Hundreds more ran into the streets before the gunman was shot and killed. The chaos at the mall erupted at 6:45 p.m. Witnesses told us they saw the gunman, heard the shots and screaming, and saw the wounded.
"We have six fatalities (including the gunman) and multiple victims at hospitals," police Detective Robin Snyder said. "They were found throughout the mall. I don't know male or female or ages."
Fifth South and Sixth South are shut down around Trolley Square tonight. Northbound lanes on Sixth East and Seventh East are closed.
Salt Lake police are encouraging anyone who was inside the mall at the time of the shooting, who may need counseling, to call Valley Mental Health at 261-1442.
Barbara Lund was working in a store. "We heard the gunshots. They were pretty loud. Then one of my friends came out and told me there were gunshots there."
The terror seemed to begin in the parking lot near the Williams Sonoma store. Two brothers leaving the mall saw a wounded youth taking shelter in a car.
"The young boy, he ran and jumped in a car. He'd been shot on this side, and his ear looked like meatloaf."
As the gunman entered the mall, he started blasting away with a shotgun. Fear and confusion spread. Police arrived within a few minutes. Hundreds of shoppers and workers took cover, hiding wherever they could. Some heard the final confrontation.
"I heard the policeman yell, 'Drop your weapon! Police! Drop your weapon.' Then we heard a lot of gunshots," said Matt Lund.
Witnesses reported dozens of shots, perhaps 50 or more. And then silence. As some were cleared to leave by police, they saw the gunman's shotgun shells scattered around in front of shops.
"As we were running towards the north side of the building, we looked to our left and there was glass shattered all over the floor next to the escalators. And maybe, it was so quick, but maybe ten bodies lying on the ground," said witness Clifton Black.
Melinda Gurr added, "We were rushed out pretty quickly. We saw a bunch of bodies heaped on the floor, and there was glass everywhere. A pretty gory sight."
"It was really just scary. I wanted to get out of there," Black said.
Salt Lake City police Detective Robin Snyder said many employees and shoppers -- "a lot of scared people" -- still were inside at 9 p.m. MST, hunkered down and waiting for a police escort. "This is a huge area to cover," she said.
An antique-store owner, Barrett Dodds, 29, said he saw a man in a trench coat exchanging gunfire with a police officer outside a card store. The gunman was backed into a children's clothing store.
"I saw the cops go in the store. I saw the shooter go down," said Dodds, who watched from the second floor.
Victims have been transported to several area hospitals. Some of the more seriously injured were taken to University Hospital.
At least four people were hospitalized. Two men in critical condition -- one 50 and another 16 -- were at University Hospital, spokesman Chris Nelson said. Another two people -- one in critical and one in serious -- were at LDS Hospital, said spokesman Jess Gomez.
