Garden State Mall

[Jiro]

The signs don't say that there are no weapons in the building. They only say law-abiding people won't be bringing in weapons. They say nothing to stop the criminals.

I do not know about GPS have signs or not. I dont read it.. I look at stein's post about gun zone free. i may misunderstand. sorry

All i know is the buildings needs to be viewed " no gun allows" signs. Thats all. ha

no point in having a sign anywhere in this highly-gun restrictive state. for many years - everybody already knew they're not supposed to bring guns outside their homes. the only people who do it are criminals. this entire state is "gun-free" zone... and it's an epic fail.

 

[Foxrac]

no point in having a sign anywhere in this highly-gun restrictive state. for many years - everybody already knew they're not supposed to bring guns outside their homes. the only people who do it are criminals. this entire state is "gun-free" zone... and it's an epic fail.

No wonder about Camden and Newark have too many crimes.

 

[Jiro]

Paramus mall gunman Richard Shoop kept to himself in final days, co-worker says | NJ.com

TEANECK – To co-workers, Richard Shoop seemed alone the past couple of weeks.

“He was keeping more things to himself,” said Robert Gega, manager of Victor’s Pizzeria and Restaurant on Cedar Lane in Teaneck.

“He didn’t open up too much at all,” said Gega, 35. “He was more by himself.”

Authorities identified Shoop as the gunman who entered the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus Monday night, firing at least six bullets before killing himself.

The news came as a shock to those who worked with him.

Shoop, 20, was a Bergen Community College student who worked four-to-five days a week at the pizzeria – doing everything from ringing up orders to delivering pizza, Gega said.

“I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” Gega said Tuesday. “I feel bad for the parents. It’s hard for them.”

Asked about Shoop's reported substance abuse, Gega said the young man he knew appeared to be cleaning up his act.

"He was sobering up," Gega said. "He was going to the gym. He was fixing his teeth. He was dressing nice.

“I can’t say why he didn’t talk to somebody. He could have talked to somebody. This didn’t have to happen.”

“He was a great guy – a really great guy,” Gega said. “He worked a lot. He was nice to everybody.

“Never angry. Just a great guy.”

The last time anyone at the pizzeria saw Shoop was Halloween night. “After that, he just stopped showing up,” Gega said.

“He was a good kid. He was talking about (becoming) partner one day,” Gega said.

Gega said Shoop was more interested in his motorcylcle than guns. “Nothing with guns,” Gega said. “He was not violent. He was a skinny, nice kid. He came here, he made money, that’s about it.”

Nearby, Tim Roem of Larry’s Friendly Service auto repair remembered Shoop as nice and likeable.

“He would park his car here when he delivered pizza,” Roem said. “He was never anything more than polite. I was as surprised as anybody when I was told what happened.”

Outside the pizzeria, friends from high school gathered throughout the day on Tuesday, remembering a likeable student who brought his teachers coffee.

“He was a great student,” said Anthony Sanchez, 21. “He was never on edge. He was the type to want to be the boss. He wanted to conquer it all.”

Amury Sarubbi, 21, graduated with Shoop with the Class of 2011.

“He was very strong-minded and energetic,” Sarubbi said, but added Shoop sometimes “bottled things up.”

“This kid worked hard,” Sarubbi said. “He never really lived a fun life.”

 

[Jiro]

Gun used in N.J. mall shooting was seized by police, then returned, prosecutor says | NJ.com

The rifle used in a Monday night shooting incident at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus was seized by Bergen County authorities earlier this year after a fight between the alleged shooter and his brother, and then returned to the family months later, prosecutors said.

The weapon, which was legally registered to the brother, Kevin Shoop, also may not have been properly secured when Richard Shoop, 20, of Teaneck, took it from the family home Monday night, walked into the mall and opened fire, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.

Shoop terrified hundreds of shoppers on Monday night when he opened fire inside the mall around 9:30 p.m., sparking a massive police response and hours-long tense lockdown. Witnesses said he shot into the air, maybe aiming at security cameras. Shoop was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Tuesday morning after a massive search of the mall, authorities said.

No one else was hurt, and prosecutors said they do not believe Shoop intended to harm anyone but himself.

The gun was taken from the Shoop family home earlier this year, after Richard Shoop and his older brother Kevin were involved in a violent altercation over the weapon on New Year's Day, Molinelli said on Tuesday night.

Kevin Shoop allegedly struck his younger brother during the incident, and was charged with simple assault, according to Molinelli, who described the weapon as an assault rifle.

The weapon was seized at that time, but the charges against Kevin Shoop were dismissed in Teaneck Municipal Court in May, Molinelli said. During court proceedings, Richard Shoop said "there was no domestic violence incident between he and his brother," according to Molinelli.

Kevin Shoop was also charged with eluding police earlier this year, Molinelli said, but all charges were eventually downgraded and dismissed. On Sept. 20th, Judge Donald R. Venezia issued a ruling ordering the rifle be returned to Kevin Shoop.

Molinelli said Kevin Shoop agreed to keep the weapon properly secured in his home following the court proceedings.

But the weapon may not have been properly stored on Monday night.

"We don't think it was properly secured," Molinelli wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night.

Mark Olszewski, left, last heard from Richard Shoop, right, one of his oldest and closest friends, when he called to try and hangout with him on Halloween. Shoop said he wanted to talk to Olszewski about something.

 

[Jiro]

Christie says N.J. mall shooting incident is mental health issue that Legislature won't tackle | NJ.com

At the polls today, Gov. Chris Christie said the apparent suicide shooting this morning at a mall in Paramus demonstrates that “we have to get to the root problem — mental health issues.”

Speaking to a throng of reporters and photographers after voting with his wife Mary Pat in Mendham Township, Christie said he stayed up until 3:30 this morning to learn about the incident at the Garden State Plaza mall. The shooter, Richard Shoop, 20, of Teaneck shot and killed himself, according to authorities. Christie said

“We’re very fortunate no one else was hurt,” Christie said.

But he criticized the state Legislature for not passing bills that would seriously address the problem.

“We may not be this lucky the next time,” he said. “This incident involved a deeply disturbed individual who was not getting treatment.”

Christie balked at the idea that more security may be needed at malls and other public places. “You are never going to make a place perfectly secure without taking people’s liberties away,” he said.

Christie’s Democratic rival, Sen. Barbara Buono and her husband voted this morning in a school gymnasium in her hometown of Metuchen. Buono said she believed many Democrats would turn out for her, unlike four years ago when Christie defeated Gov. Jon Corzine.

"They were unhappy with an incumbent governor, but couldn't bring themselves to vote for Christie. That's not going to happen," she said.

Christie, widely considered a Republican presidential candidate for 2016, was asked what office he will be running for the next time he votes for himself.

“I won’t ever run for another office in New Jersey,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know if he’ll have another chance to run.

He declined to predict a huge victory for himself or for the other Republicans running for seats in the Legislature. Noting the new legislative maps, Christie said, “This is very uncharted territory. I really have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Christie signed autographs and posed for pictures upon entering and leaving his voting place at the Emergency Services Building in the Brookside section of Mendham Township. He and his wife then boarded a campaign bus and headed to their next stop.