미국 메릴랜드주(州) 콜럼비아의 한 쇼핑몰에서 25일 총격 사건이 발생해 용의자를 포함해 최소 3명이 숨졌다고 현지 언론이 보도했다.
CNN방송 등에 따르면 총격은 이날 오전 11시께 수도 워싱턴DC에서 30킬로미터 가량 떨어진 유명 쇼핑몰인 '콜럼비아 몰'에서 발생했다.
신고를 받고 출동한 결찰은 현장에서 신원이 확인되지 않은 시신 3구를 발견했으며, 이 가운데 시신 근처에서 총과 탄약이 발견된 한 명이 범인으로 추정된다고 경찰 당국은 설명했다.
또 부상자도 발생해 인근 병원으로 옮겨졌으나 정확한 숫자는 확인되지 않고 있다고 복수의 현지 언론이 전했다.
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총격 사건이 발생한 콜롬비아 몰을 순찰하는 무장 경찰들 (AFP) |
주말을 맞아 쇼핑객과 영화관람객 등으로 붐비던 쇼핑몰은 총격 직후 순식간에 아수라장으로 변했다. 특히 경찰 출동 직후 범인이 잡히지 않은 채 상황이 진행되고 있는 것으로 알려지면서 혼란이 가중됐다.
목격자들은 여러 발의 총성이 쇼핑몰 2층에 있는 푸드코트 쪽에서 들려왔다고 전했다. 이 쇼핑몰에는 메이시스 백화점과 대형 영화관 등 200여 개의 점포가 입주해 있다.
남편과 함께 손녀의 생일 선물을 사러 쇼핑몰에 왔다는 조앤 하딩 씨는 갑자기 총성이 들린 뒤 사람들이 뛰기 시작했다면서 "상점 직원의 안내로 쇼핑몰 뒤쪽으로 피신했다"고 말했다.
빌 맥마흔 하워드카운티 경찰국장은 사건 직후 현장 브리핑에서 "아직도 쇼핑몰 내에는 많은 주민이 숨어 있는 상태"라면서 "추가 희생자가 있는지 샅샅이 수색하고 있다"고 설명했다.
그는 "범인은 숨진 1명밖에 없는 것으로 추정하고 있고, 범행 동기는 아직 확인 되지 않았다"고 덧붙였다.
(
khnews@heraldcorp.com)
<관련 영문 기사>
3 dead, including gunman, after US mall shooting
A man carrying a shotgun opened fire at a busy shopping mall in suburban Baltimore on Saturday, killing two employees of a skate shop and then himself as panicked shoppers ran for cover, police said. Five others were injured.
Police were still trying to determine the identity and motive of the gunman who killed a man and a woman, both in their 20s, at a skate shop called Zumiez on the upper level of the Mall in Columbia, a suburb of both Baltimore and Washington.
Witnesses described hearing gunshots and screaming as panicked shoppers ducked into nearby stores and hid behind locked doors. Many found cover in stockrooms and barricaded themselves until the arrival of police, who searched store to store. By late afternoon, the mall had been cleared of shoppers and employees.
Howard County Police Chief William J. McMahon said at a news conference that authorities had difficulty identifying the gunman because of concerns he might be carrying explosives and were proceeding with an “abundance of caution.”
“We do not know yet what caused the shooting incident,” he said. “We do not have a motive.”
Someone called the police emergency dispatcher at around 11:15 a.m. to report a shooting at the mall. Police responded to the scene within 2 minutes and found three people dead -- including the apparent gunman lying near a shotgun and ammunition -- either inside or outside the shop, which sells skateboards, clothing and accessories. McMahon said police were confident there was a single gunman.
Police identified the victims as 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo of College Park, Maryland, and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson of Ellicott City, Maryland. Both worked at Zumiez.
Howard County General Hospital said it had treated and released five patients. One patient had a gunshot wound, while at least three other patients sustained other injuries.
The mall is at the center of the town and typically opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. It was filled with shoppers and employees when the shots rang out before noon.
Joan Harding of Elkridge, Maryland, was shopping with her husband, David, for a tiara for their granddaughter's 18th birthday. She said she heard something heavy falling, followed by gunshots and people running.
“My husband said, ‘Get down!’ and the girl that worked in the store said, ‘Get in the back,’” Harding said. That is where they hid until police searched the mall and signaled it was safe to leave.
The mall was closed to the public as police looked in each store for people who might still be hiding, McMahon said. It will remain closed at least through the night.
McMahon said it wasn't clear whether the gunman and victims knew each other. He said officers did not fire any shots when they arrived at the scene. Asked if the gunman shot himself, the chief answered: “That is certainly what it appears to be at this point.”
Tonya Broughton of Silver Spring, Maryland., was with a friend getting facials for a “girls' morning out,” she said. “The only thing I heard was all the people running and screaming and saying ‘There's a shooter! There's a shooter!’” she said.
Wearing a gel face mask, she and her friend hid in a Victoria's Secret store.
People were directed out of the mall and into a parking lot, where some boarded a bus and others walked toward their cars. Some people were seen crying. McMahon said detectives were interviewing witnesses as they emerged from the mall.
Laura McKindles of Columbia works at a kiosk in the mall. She said she heard between eight and 10 gunshots, followed by people running and screaming. She ran into the backroom of a perfume store and locked the door.
Allison Cohen, who works at the apparel store Lucky Brand Jeans, said she always felt safe at the mall.
“I truly never thought something like this would ever happen here,” Cohen said. “It's really, really shocking.” (AP)
