Pizzeria worker, 20, who opened fire at New Jersey mall is found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound at back of shopping center

Gunman Richard Shoop found dead in area of mall still under construction



He was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound - no other injuries reported



Shoop left a suicide note at his family home and stole his brother's gun

He wore a motorcycle helmet and body armor for the attack on Monday night



Authorities say he was a known drug abuser and a frequent user of MDMA



Police do not believe he intended to harm anybody other than himself

He 'told shoppers they would not be harmed as he fired shots into the air'



Over 1,000 people barricaded inside as SWAT teams searched the building



The crazed gunman who brought terror to a New Jersey mall on Monday night by casually strolling through the building firing bullets into the air, has shot himself dead, authorities claim.



The body of 20-year-old Richard Shoop was discovered at 3:20 a.m. this morning in an area of the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus N.J., which was still under construction.



Shoop, who was wearing body armour and a motorcycle helmet, walked into the Garden State Plaza mall shortly before 9.30pm on Monday night and opened fire.

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Jersey Mall gunman Richard Shoop was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an area behind the Westfield Garden State Mall in Paramus New Jersey



Bergen County prosecutors said Snoop, of Teanick, NJ, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an area deep withing the mall described as 'a literal Byzantine area of new construction', NBC reports.

Authorities say thehad a history of hard drug abuse and was a frequent user of MDMA. But they said they do not believe he had intended to harm anyone but himself.

He reportedly left a note to his family at his home, before stealing his brother's gun and setting off to the Westfield mall.



No one is understood to have been injured in the attack although up to 1,000 shoppers were left barricaded inside the building.

Response: Heavily-armed police are pictured outside the Garden State Plaza mall where gunman Richard Shoop's body was discovered in a part of the building still under construction

Hunt: Law enforcement officials gather outside the New Jersey mall. The gunman entered the building at around 9.30pm on Monday and reportedly strolled casually through shops firing bullets into the air

No one is understood to have been injured in the attack although up to 1,000 shoppers were left barricaded inside the building

Police claim the gunman had a history of drug abuse but that they do not believe he had intended to harm anyone other than himself

One mall kiosk worker told the Post: 'He was waving at people, doing wise ass things. People were running and screaming. I just ran. It happened so fast.'

Another witness said the gunman had told shoppers they would not be harmed as he fired shots in the air around them.

Earlier this morning police raided Shoop's family home in Teaneck. A man, believed to be his father Charles, was ordered to drop a screwdriver he had been carrying before being called out at gunpoint with his hands raised above his head.

According to a report in the New York Post, after dropping to his knees on the front lawn, the man shouted out: 'Is this because of my son Richard at the mall?

Evacuation: Shoppers are led out of the Westfield mall by an official wearing tactical gear

One witness said the gunman had told shoppers they would not be harmed as he fired shots in the air around them

Earlier last night police raided Shoop's family home where man believed to be his father was led out at gunpoint

An armed policeman stands at the entrance to the Westfield shopping Mall during the hunt for the gunman

Cordoned off: Shoop had reportedly left a suicide note at his family home and stolen a gun licenced to his brother

'I am heartbroken over this. He called me. This is my f**king kid you have no f**king idea what I'm going through.

'Just imagine if this was one of your kids.'

Witnesses told how the gunman had strolled casually through the mall firing shots into the air and taking out security cameras.

One mall kiosk worker told the Post: 'He was waving at people, doing wise ass things. People were running and screaming. I just ran. It happened so fast.'

Another witness said the gunman had told shoppers they would not be harmed as he fired shots in the air around them.

Authorities converge on the Garden State Plaza Mall late on Monday after there were reports of multiple shots being fired inside

Officials wearing tactical gear walk outside of Garden State Plaza Mall following reports of a shooter on Monday who remained at large

Shoppers run from the mall in New Jersey with their hands in the air as police swarmed the scene Initial reports suggested he had been armed with a rifle, however police say they recovered a long-barrel shotgun and a spent shotgun shell from the scene.

The gunman was last seen near the mall's Apple Store. A discarded leather jacket and backpack were discovered in a Lord and Taylor store. K-9 units and the bomb squad are investigating the unopened backpack. The center was placed on lock down with hundreds of people barricaded inside stores, according to Jim Tedesco of the Paramus Office of Emergency Management. A source told Fox that the gunman's cell phone had been traced to the second floor of the mall despite that area being cleared by authorities.

Dozens of police officers and SWAT teams enter the mall where a shooter was believed to still be on the loose in Paramus, New Jersey

Police holding a shield and an automatic rifle patrol after reports that a gunman fired shots at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus Shots were fired tonight inside the Garden State Plaza Mall in New Jersey

Allie Cozic,who works at the mall, told CNN: 'It was almost like when you're watching a horror movie and the killer is walking slowly - that's what it seemed like.'

Alaa Hegazi, a contractor working at the mall, told patch.com that the shooter said: 'I don’t want to shoot anyone here, just let me go.'

Bergen County Executive’s spokesman confirmed police SWAT are responding to an 'active shooter' in area of Nordstrom on the second floor.

Dozens of police cars and emergency vehicles raced to the Westfield Garden State Plaza shopping center, one of the largest in the state.

Around 9.30pm (EST) police received multiple 911 calls with reports of a shooting shortly before the mall closed for the evening. Terrified mall shoppers clutch each other as they leave the building following reports of shots fired inside shortly before closing time on Monday night

Eddie Kahmann told CNN that he heard up to seven shots fired. A restaurant worker told Fox 5 that he heard shots and mall security told staff to lock the doors.



Customers inside told News 12 that they were ordered to drop to the floor and lights were turned off inside stores.



Others reported seeing a man dressed all in black and carrying a shotgun fire at surveillance cameras inside.



Shoppers were told by police to leave the mall with their hands up and then go home. Authorities had set up a perimeter around the mall.

Police secure the area after reports that a gunman fired shots at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, New Jersey

Armed response units flooded into the mall to evacuate terrified shoppers after shots were fired

Police officers surround the mall where they were escorting terrified shoppers from the center with their arms in the air