US
columbia mall shooting gunman identified
Officials have identified the suspected gunman in Saturday’s shooting at The Mall in Columbia.
Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19, of College Park is believed to have shot and killed Brianna Benlolo, 21, also of College Park and Tyler Johnson, 25, of Ellicott City.
A recent 19-year old graduate of a Silver Spring, Maryland, high school has been identified by police officials as the gunman who killed two store employees at the Mall in Columbia before turning his weapon on himself.
Darion Marcus Aguilar took a taxi cab to the mall, located about 10 miles from his home in College Park. Police officials say he used a backpack to conceal the fact that he was carrying a 12-gauge shotgun with him. Fellow workers at his job at the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts were concerned when he didn’t show up for his shift and by the end of the day, his mother
contacted police to report him missing.
Among his victims were employees of the Zumiez skateboard store on the second level of the busy shopping mall, Brianna Benlolo and Tyler Johnson.
Police say they have not yet established if he knew either individual or the motives behind the slayings. Although police were called to the scene as soon as Aguilar opened fire, he managed to kill himself before officers were able to capture him. Although police refuse to speculate on a motive, they are investigating what the teenager recorded in a daily journal kept at home.
On The Web:
columbia mall shooting
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/police-id-assailant-in-columbia-mall-shooting/2014/01/26/e9cf39ec-8696-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html