Police: Man killed woman, self in Florissant mall

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) -- A man shot and killed a woman inside a suburban St. Louis mall on Wednesday before killing himself, police said.

The shooting happened early Wednesday afternoon inside Jamestown Mall, said St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus. No one else was hurt, but the mall was evacuated.

Panus says the motive for the shooting just outside of a Sears store was not immediately known. Names of the dead and their relationship have not been released.

Calls to Sears and several other stores in that area of the mall were either unanswered or not returned. A woman answering phones in the mall office declined comment.

Marcus Gwynn, 21, who works at Radio Shack, said he was walking into the mall to begin his shift when he heard four shots.

"I seen a lady on the ground face-down, then he sits on the ground and shot himself in the head," said Gwynn, who described both as black and in their mid-40s.

Deborah and Michael Mingo said they were shopping at Sears when they heard several shots. She asked a clerk about the noise and was told it was likely construction. But a short time later, people in the store were telling them to get out, Deborah Mingo said.

Kim Bell, 44, of Florissant, raced to the mall with her young granddaughter in tow to check on the welfare of her daughter, who works at a store in the mall.

"I'm always in the mall on my days off," Bell said. "Thank God I had to work today."

It wasn't immediately clear when the mall would reopen. Police tape was wrapped around the food court entrance, which was near the scene of the shooting. A cinema in the mall was also closed -- people who were watching afternoon matinees were told to leave.

Jamestown Mall is in far northern St. Louis County and includes about 60 stores and restaurants.