Shooting at Portland, Oregon mall claims three including gunman

Added by on December 12, 2012

Emergency vehicles at a shooting in a mall in Portland Oregon. The photo includes a tarp that may be covering the victims that include the gunman.

Authorities have confirmed three people have been killed in a shooting that took place in a Portland, Oregon, USA mall at approximately 23:30UTC/GMT (3:30 PST).

Officials added at lest one person is believed to be seriously injured.

Police and witnesses said the gunman shot about 60 rounds before the shooting spree ended. The shooting reportedly took place in the mall’s food court, located near Macy’s which also has an exit to the parking lot.

A spokesperson at an area hospital, Legacy Emanuel Hospital, said the hospital had not received any patients involved in the shooting. The hospital was on alert and officials say the hospital may receive one person by emergency helicopter.

The gunman reportedly wore a hockey mask, and a bullet proof vest over camouflage clothes. Witnesses say the gunman appeared to be a teenager, and used a semi-automatic rifle yet none of the witness accounts have been independently confirmed.

When police officials became aware of the shooting, air traffic above the mall was restricted to allow helicopter air ambulances to gain clear access in case a number of victims needed critical treatment. The mall was put under lockdown – when all exits are closed. Witnesses said SWAT team members searched each store and escorted people out of the mall. Many people ran outside during the shooting, yet many others hid in stores, employee break rooms, and other areas not typically open to the public.

As SWAT team members were clearing the mall, one witness, Austin Patty, said he heard the gunman say, “I am the shooter”, and then fired several shots.

The gunman is described as having dark hair, short, and wearing body armour.

A policeman at the site of the shooting said the gunman may have been using a civilian equivalent of a semiautomatic M-16 rifle, called an AR-15. The policeman added the gun may have jammed and that an unspent cartridge was found on the ground.

Police have not disclosed how the gunman died, nor have they suggested a possible motive or whether the gunman made any indications of his intentions prior to the shooting.

Clackamas Town Center, where the shooting too place, opened in 1981, and is located at War Veterans Memorial Fwy (205) and SE Sunnyside Rd in Portland, Oregon.