The man's body was loaded into this white van outside the Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City. (Aug. 7, 2016)

Advertisement Yuba City shoppers 'hysterical' after man kills self Officers tried to speak with man before shooting at Yuba Sutter Mall Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City was shut down for hours Sunday after a man shot and killed himself inside the mall, officers said.The Yuba City Police Department received a report just after 11:30 a.m. that a distraught man was waving a rifle around inside the mall on Colusa Avenue.Mall security told the police department that the man had sat down on a bench in front of the JC Penney, T-Mobile and Zumiez stores.Cameron Welch captured the event on his cell phone."The man was sitting down holding a weapon and making loud noises," Welch said.Officers tried to speak with the man, telling him to put down his weapon. However, witness Javier Campos said the man just wouldn't listen."I heard some guy shouting about his family and saying stay away from him," Campos said. "All of a sudden, I hear a loud gunshot go off, and I look back and see people rushing to the door."As officers tried to talk to the man, he shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said."The guy laid lifeless on the ground," Welch said. "People were hysterical."No officers or civilians were hurt.The mall was shut down for several hours as police gathered evidence at the scene. Everyone who was in the mall when the shooting happened was escorted out safely, a police department spokesperson said.The man was believed to be in his 60s, but his identity has not been released.The police response drew praise from Yuba City council member Preet Didbal."Our community did the right thing," Didbal said. "We had a security mall officer who saw something was odd and reported it. Our law enforcement was on it."Didbal added that the incident serves as a wake-up call for Yuba City to evaluate how first responders handled the emergency."We're all coming together," Didbal said. "And hoping to take care of the families in the mall. It was a traumatic situation of them, and that's what we're doing."No additional details about the man or the incident were given.Stay with KCRA for updates.KCRA's Mike Luery contributed to this report.38170400