Gunman kills eight, then commits suicide

A man with a rifle opened fire at a busy shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska, today, killing eight people before taking his own life, police said.

Five more people were wounded, two critically.

Shoppers and employees ran screaming through the mall and barricaded themselves in dressing rooms after hearing gunfire.

The gunman was found dead on the third floor of the Von Maur department store.

Keith Fidler, a Von Maur employee, said he heard a burst of five to six shots followed by 15 to 20 more rounds.

Mr Fidler said he huddled in the corner of the men’s clothing department with about a dozen other employees until police yelled to get out of the store.

A witness, Shawn Vidlak, said he heard four or five rapid shots “like a nail gun”.

At first he thought it was noise from construction work going on at the mall.

“People started screaming about gunshots,” Vidlak said. “I grabbed my wife and kids and we got out of there as fast as we could.”

Shortly after the shooting, a group of shoppers came out of the building with their hands raised. Some were still holding shopping bags.

President George Bush was in town today for a fundraiser in Omaha, but left about an hour before the shooting.

The sprawling, three-level mall has more than 135 stores and restaurants, according to the website for General Growth Properties, the manager of the mall.

It gets 14.5 million visitors every year, according to the website.