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Gunman opens fire at N.Y. mall; 1 injured
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-14 13:24
A lone gunman opened fire with an assault rifle Sunday inside a crowded mall
in upstate New York, seriously wounding one person before running out of
ammunition and being subdued by employees, authorities said.
The gunman began shooting inside the Hudson Valley Mall shortly after 3 p.m.
in Kingston, nearly 90 miles north of New York City.
The 24-year-old gunman went into a Best Buy store and started firing. When he
ran out of ammunition, he was captured by mall employees, police said.
Police did not identify the suspect.
State police Capt. Wayne Olson said the shooter fired a "significant number
of rounds." He disputed earlier reports that the weapon was an AK-47.
An Army recruiter was shot in the leg but was not the target of the attack,
said Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, a National Guard spokesman. The recruiter was
evacuated by helicopter to an Albany hospital, where he was listed in critical
condition.
The 20-year-old recruiter might lose his leg, Olson said.
A second victim, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor gunshot wounds to his left
arm, thigh and leg. Two other people had bullet holes in their pant legs.
"We consider it fortunate that more people were not struck," Olson said.
"Sunday afternoon in a crowded mall, it really has all the potential in the
world to be a disaster."
The mall was evacuated after the shooting, but an unknown number of workers
remained inside after police surrounded the building.
"Everyone was running and screaming. Then I heard the shots," witness Heather
Craig told Fox News. "People were running over people. Other people were just
standing there dumbfounded."
Ali Afshar, owner of a mall kiosk, said he saw the gunman being tackled from
behind by two men who worked at a sporting goods store. "They hit him and took
him to the floor and held him there," Afshar said, adding that the shooter was
dressed all in black.
The suspect, who was from the nearby Saugerties area, was expected to be
arraigned Sunday night or Monday on charges of assault and reckless
endangerment.
All mall entrances remained blocked off by police Sunday evening.
Michael Bovalino, chief executive officer of the mall's parent company, said
crisis counselors would be available for mall employees Monday.
"Our main concern at this point is the well being of those that were
injured," Bovalino said in a statement.
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