US shooting gunman identified, motive not known

The gunman who killed two workers in a shooting at a busy shopping mall near here before turning his shotgun on himself, was today identified as 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar.

The gunman who killed two workers in a shooting at a busy shopping mall near here before turning his shotgun on himself, was today identified as 19-year-old Darion Marcus Aguilar.

Aguilar fired six to eight shots during the rampage at the Columbia mall yesterday, killing two employees - a man and a woman - of a skateboard shop.

The motive behind the shooting, which left five others injured, is not yet clear.

"We have not been able to verify any type of relationship between him and either of his victims...that is an open question," Howard County Police Chief William J McMahon told reporters today. "We just don't know that and we're working to find that out now."

Aguilar, the police official said, arrived at the mall about an hour before the shooting. He was carrying "a large amount of ammunition" and apparent makeshift explosives that were not very sophisticated.

The centre, about 45 minutes outside Washington DC, is a popular weekend shopping destination.

The two dead reported were identified as Brianna Benlolo, 21, and Tyler Johnson, 25.