44Brent
Regular Member
imported post
I find it truly amazing that people go about their daily lives UNPREPARED, thinking this could never happen to them.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=888784
Gunman Opens Fire at Trolley Square; Six Dead
February 12th, 2007 @ 10:00pm
KSL Team Coverage/AP
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."
Matt Lund, Barbara's husband, said he saw a woman's body face-down at the entrance to Pottery Barn Kids. He locked himself and four others inside a storage room for about 40 minutes, isolated but still able to hear the violence.
Marie Smith, 23, had the day off from Bath & Body Works but stopped there during an errand and saw the gunman shoot a woman in front of the store.
"He was ahead of her, standing still. I don't think she saw that he had a gun," said Smith, who dashed to a bathroom and locked the door.
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.
"We heard them say, 'Police! Drop your weapon!' Then we heard shotgun fire. Then there was a barrage of gunfire," Matt Lund, 44, said. "It was hard to believe."
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.
Victim Information
University of Utah Hospital
Critical Condition
50-year-old male
16-year-old male
LDS Hospital
Critical Condition
one patient
Serious Condition
one patient
Salt Lake Regional Hospital
Pregnant woman treated for psychological trauma
A woman who is 32-weeks pregnant was taken to Salt Lake Regional Hospital because of severe psychological trauma.
When one of our KSL crews arrived at Trolley Square, groups of people were huddled on the corners. They'd been evacuated and were waiting in the cold to be reunited with family, or to get their cars out of the parking lot, or their personal belongings.
We talked to a lot of those people. All were in different stores at the time of the shooting, but all heard the same thing.
"I heard the gunshot and I saw the security guards run."
"Just heard this bang. Bang, bang, bang. It was just like random shots going off."
"We heard what sounded like big balloons, boxes being stamped on. You never expect gunshots. Then heard the glass doors being shot out, and the gunman coming through there. We all screamed and ran and hid in the store."
"So we said to the owner of the store, 'Lock the doors. Lock the doors.' She did, and she turned the lights out so it looked like the store was closed."
Police eventually gathered all the witness inside Hard Rock Cafe to question them about what they saw.
As people ran from the mall for their lives, people also flocked to Trolley Square to see for themselves what was happening.
As KSL's Sam Penrod walked up to the scene, less than an hour after the shooting started, people were in tears and in shock, just wondering if this was really happening. They were also waiting for some kind of an indication that it was safe again. The victims who were inside the mall at the time of the shooting and ran for their lives just stood around, almost in disbelief. Many of them witnessed the shooting, they heard the shots, they saw people running and screaming to get out.
They told us they waited for the police to get here. The sight of the police cars was a huge relief, knowing that something could be done to end this nightmare.
With all the commotion, neighbors started coming out of their houses to see what was happening. Soon, fire trucks and ambulance after ambulance came to the scene. So did police officers. More than an hour after the shooting, reinforcements continued to arrive.
For those who were here tonight, it's been terrifying and traumatizing. People are going to need time to heal emotionally, to recover from such a terrible night.
Police have not identified the gunman or a motive.
I find it truly amazing that people go about their daily lives UNPREPARED, thinking this could never happen to them.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=888784
Gunman Opens Fire at Trolley Square; Six Dead
February 12th, 2007 @ 10:00pm
KSL Team Coverage/AP
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."
Matt Lund, Barbara's husband, said he saw a woman's body face-down at the entrance to Pottery Barn Kids. He locked himself and four others inside a storage room for about 40 minutes, isolated but still able to hear the violence.
Marie Smith, 23, had the day off from Bath & Body Works but stopped there during an errand and saw the gunman shoot a woman in front of the store.
"He was ahead of her, standing still. I don't think she saw that he had a gun," said Smith, who dashed to a bathroom and locked the door.
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.
"We heard them say, 'Police! Drop your weapon!' Then we heard shotgun fire. Then there was a barrage of gunfire," Matt Lund, 44, said. "It was hard to believe."
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.
Victim Information
University of Utah Hospital
Critical Condition
50-year-old male
16-year-old male
LDS Hospital
Critical Condition
one patient
Serious Condition
one patient
Salt Lake Regional Hospital
Pregnant woman treated for psychological trauma
A woman who is 32-weeks pregnant was taken to Salt Lake Regional Hospital because of severe psychological trauma.
When one of our KSL crews arrived at Trolley Square, groups of people were huddled on the corners. They'd been evacuated and were waiting in the cold to be reunited with family, or to get their cars out of the parking lot, or their personal belongings.
We talked to a lot of those people. All were in different stores at the time of the shooting, but all heard the same thing.
"I heard the gunshot and I saw the security guards run."
"Just heard this bang. Bang, bang, bang. It was just like random shots going off."
"We heard what sounded like big balloons, boxes being stamped on. You never expect gunshots. Then heard the glass doors being shot out, and the gunman coming through there. We all screamed and ran and hid in the store."
"So we said to the owner of the store, 'Lock the doors. Lock the doors.' She did, and she turned the lights out so it looked like the store was closed."
Police eventually gathered all the witness inside Hard Rock Cafe to question them about what they saw.
As people ran from the mall for their lives, people also flocked to Trolley Square to see for themselves what was happening.
As KSL's Sam Penrod walked up to the scene, less than an hour after the shooting started, people were in tears and in shock, just wondering if this was really happening. They were also waiting for some kind of an indication that it was safe again. The victims who were inside the mall at the time of the shooting and ran for their lives just stood around, almost in disbelief. Many of them witnessed the shooting, they heard the shots, they saw people running and screaming to get out.
They told us they waited for the police to get here. The sight of the police cars was a huge relief, knowing that something could be done to end this nightmare.
With all the commotion, neighbors started coming out of their houses to see what was happening. Soon, fire trucks and ambulance after ambulance came to the scene. So did police officers. More than an hour after the shooting, reinforcements continued to arrive.
For those who were here tonight, it's been terrifying and traumatizing. People are going to need time to heal emotionally, to recover from such a terrible night.
Police have not identified the gunman or a motive.
