BALTIMORE, Maryland January 26, 2014 - {Sunday update of story posted originally on Saturday} Even as frigid cold weather continued its steel grip on the Mid-Atlantic States, police and other authorities in central Maryland say three people are confirmed dead and at least five others injured after a lone gunman killed two employees of a store inside a metro shopping mall, then apparently killed himself. Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said Sunday morning that no connection has been established between the shooter and his two victims. Authorities have determined that the shooter and one victim have College Park, Maryland addresses.
The assailant has been identified as Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19, who lived with his mother in College Park, Maryland. When his body was discovered immediately after the 11:15 am Saturday (1/25/2014) shootings, he was wearing a backpack filled with rather crude explosives, and authorities initially feared he had booby-trapped himself. Police raided his apartment last night and confiscated ammunition, a computer and documents.
Aguilar's two victims, according to authorities, were Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, and Tyler Johnson, 25, of Mount Airy, Maryland. WBAL Radio in Baltimore reported Sunday, quoting Ms. Benlolo's grandfather, that Ms. Benlolo moved to College Park from Colorado and was the manager of the store where the shootings occurred. She is the mother of a 2-year-old son. The grandfather, who lives in Florida, said he did not know Aguilar. Ms. Benlolo is on good terms with her child's father, and they share custody of the 2-year-old. The grandfather also said Ms. Benlolo was from a military family and moved often.
The scene of the gunfire was the Columbia Mall in suburban Howard County, just north of Washington D.C. and southwest of Baltimore. College Park, Maryland is also close to the shooting scene. According to WBAL, which quoted University of Maryland officials, neither the gunman nor the victims had any connection with the University of Maryland's main campus in College Park.
Witnesses have said that the armed assailant emerged from the back of a Zumiez location and began firing. All three fatal shootings occurred inside the Zumiez location, which is on the second floor of the mall, although at least one body was found just outside the store. Police and other authorities initially said the shooting grew out of a domestic dispute.
In addition to the three fatalities, at least five people were treated for injuries at Howard County General Hospital, including one who was shot. Of the five injuries, only the person who was shot was not injured in the panic that erupted immediately after the shots rang out. Police say the shooter fired six to eight total shots from a 12-gauge shotgun. There was no immediate explanation as to how the injured shooting victim received his wounds since he was on the first floor of the mall underneath the Zumiez shop. Although police were on the scene within two to three minutes of its occurrence, they apparently fired no return shots.
It has been reported that the instant that shots rang out shopkeepers began closing and locking their stores. They then kept themselves and their customers locked in until given an okay from SWAT Team members inside the mall.
This writer culled his story from a variety of online sources. The Chicago Tribune, mainly utilizng Reuters, has a concise report of the facts at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-maryland-mall-shooting-20140125,0,2030558.story
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