Customer Opens Fire at Tenn. Mall, Killing Worker

Knoxville, Tenn. A customer opened fire in a crowded shopping mall Wednesday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn., killing an employee of the Reno Menswear clothing store before he was shot and wounded by police officers, authorities said. Witnesses said the gunfire sent people "stampeding" for cover, according to the Associated Press.

The employee was shot multiple times around 4:20 p.m. after a confrontation with the man at Knoxville Center Mall, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said.  He died at the scene.

The suspect was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center and was in stable condition. Police didn't release the names of the customer or the suspect.

The mall, owned by Simon Property Group of Indianapolis, closed early because of the shooting.

Mall manager Tim Hill said in a release that the company was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy, offered sympathy to the victim and his family and pledged full cooperation with authorities.