Omaha mall shooting brings back painful memories www.privateofficer.com

Omaha NE Aug 30 2010 Police in Omaha, Nebraska, said Saturday they were investigating a shooting outside the same mall where a gunman killed eight people nearly three years ago.

An off-duty police officer working security at Westroads Mall was chasing two shoplifting suspects when they hit him with their car, Omaha Police Officer Michael Pecha said. The off-duty officer then fired on the vehicle, striking one of the shoplifting suspects.

The off-duty officer and the suspect were transported to Creighton University Medical Center. The officer was in serious condition and the suspect was in critical condition Saturday night, Pecha said.

The shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), Pecha said.

In December 2007, a 19-year-old gunman killed eight people and himself at the same mall.

Shaley McKeever, a hostess at the P.F. Chang’s China Bistro there, said she panicked when she heard that the mall was under lockdown Saturday night.

“We had a few people calling in saying they couldn’t come in through the parking lot because police had blocked all the entrances,” she said.
Source:CNN