Mall gunman called ‘a very helpful young man’

The first 911 call came in at 1:42 p.m., and the shooting was already over when police arrived six minutes later, authorities said.

“We sent every available officer in the city of Omaha,” Sgt. Teresa Negron said. “They came to the mall in lights and sirens.”

The World-Herald reported that the gunman had a military-style haircut and a black backpack, and wore a camouflage vest.

Hawkins opened fire in a Von Maur store, part of a Midwestern chain.

Mickey Vickory, who worked in the store’s third-floor service department, said she heard shots and went with coworkers and customers into a back closet, emerging about a half-hour later when police shouted to come out with their hands up. As police led them to another part of the mall for safety, they saw the victims.

“We saw the bodies and we saw the blood,” she said.

Keith Fidler, another 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.

Witness Shawn Vidlak said the shots sounded like a nail gun. At first he thought it was noise from construction work 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.”

Nebraska Medical Center spokeswoman Andrea McMaster said the hospital had three victims from the mall shooting, including Fred Wilson, 61, who was in critical condition early Thursday with a bullet wound to his chest.

Another critically wounded victim was at Creighton University Medical Center, spokeswoman Lisa Stites said.

Bush in Omaha earlier in day
President Bush was in Omaha on Wednesday for a fundraiser, but left about an hour before the shooting.

“Having just visited with so many members of the community in Omaha today, the president is confident that they will pull together to comfort one another,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

The sprawling, three-level mall has more than 135 stores and restaurants. It gets 14.5 million visitors every year, according to its Web site.

It was the second mass shooting at a mall this year. In February, nine people were shot, five of them fatally, at Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City. The gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, was shot and killed by police.

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