we were just in the children's department getting ready to check out. one of the employees casually came over and asked the associate to calmly lead everyone to the back room. and she calmly said there was a report of someone in the mall with a gun. we all just, like i said, they kept everyone very calm, led us to the stockroom. we were in there for at least about an hour. and they -- i mean, we were all nervous, on our phones trying to find out what was going on. but the staff kept everyone calm. very accommodating. like i said, we were just thankful to be where we were in the mall. >> did you get the idea that the staff had been briefed on how to handle emergencies like this? >> absolutely. i mean, there was no running around, no confusion. like i said, everyone was very calm, and kept all the customers calm as well. i think they must have been trained very well. and they handled the situation tremendously, wonderfully. >> earlier we were talking to a

number of people like yourselves and retailers inside the mall, who said a lot of them were receiving most of their information by texting friends and relatives, and either -- you know, talking to them on the phone. was that how you were able to receive information? or were some of the employees at the store briefing you all as to what was going on? >> it was both. employees certainly were keeping us updated as to what information they were giving. then we were also getting information on our phones as well. it was coming from both sides. >> it must have seemed so surreal for you to be going through something like this. >> it is. you just don't imagine something happening so close to home. and it really was a reality check. you know, we just can't be too cautious sometimes. it was really more -- like i said, you can't appreciate what you've got until you're in that situation. >> absolutely. we're glad that you and your two young children are all safe. and that you managed to get through this okay. and we appreciate you sharing

your experience with us. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> at least 12 mall shootings took place last year. joining us now with a look at what police will be looking at going forward is a former homicide detective and fox news contractor who is standing by in the vicinity of the mall. rod, thank you very much for joining us. in the aftermath of what you've learned about the shooting, what is at the top of your mind? >> what i can tell you is the howard county s.w.a.t. unit has gone through just about every one of the 200 stores inside this mall. they're also checking the roof of the mall, and they're checking all of the fire escapes and the fire exits, doug. that's very important in a case like this, because we in law enforcement, we don't know whether or not everybody got out safely or not. you know, a lot of times in these active shooter situations, people will hide out and believe it or not they will hide out until somebody comes to get them. the howard county s.w.a.t. unit is doing a tremendous job going through the mall, making sure

it's secure, getting everybody out of there. the other thing that's very important that the viewers need to understand is that everybody that was in the mall, that the law enforcement officers have identified, they will be interviewed, to see exactly what they knew, whether or not they saw anything. according to the police chief, as you've already reported, the shooting took place at a store called zoomie's. being familiar with this maul, it's right at the top of the escalators. now, the escalators lead right down to the food court. that's why, doug, earlier today a lot of folks were saying that maybe the shooting had taken place in the food court. well, it had not, it was right above the food court. that's where i think the confusion came in. the other thing, real quickly, is that the largest big box store is nordstrom's, down a little walkway there. obviously there was a lot of people in that little area. especially in that food court when this shooting took place, doug. >> rod, i hate to put this in such stark, blunt terms, but it's something that police officers are very much aware of.

mall security is very much aware of and bad guys are aware of it, that a shopping mall like this is a target-rich environment. we heard the chief of police saying there could have been hundreds of thousands, i don't know that many, but thousands, if not tens of thousands of people in this shopping mall, a target-rich environment. is it time to start considering metal detectors at the entrances of shopping malls? >> i think that's a question that a lot in law enforcement is thinking about. we had the horrific situation in the mall in kenya. we looked at that situation in law enforcement and we want to make sure that here in the united states, we can try to protect our folks from anything like that. so i think going forward, many police departments and like i said the department of homeland security will study these situations to see if we can prevent these things from occurring again. but i must say, if this is a targeted shooting, and we don't know that yet, police are still

investigating, but if it is a targeted shooting, these are believe it or not the worst type of situations you can have. you know why? because there's very little warning signs that these situations are going to take place, doug. >> rod, what does it say to you that the shooter had apparently a lot of ammunition with him? we don't know how much, but we heard from the chief of police that there was a lot of ammo there. >> there's a lot of ammunition, but i also heard that he used a shotgun, which in an active shooter situation, typically a shotgun is not the weapon of choice. usually a shotgun is used when it is a targeted shooting. if this guy did in fact have a lot of ammunition, there is a possibility, and i'm just speculating here, but there is a possibility that maybe he intended to shoot more people than he did. but for some reason or another, he decided to end his own life, doug. >> right. rod wheeler, stand by. thank you very much for your expertise. police said they have not yet approached the body of the shooter here, out of fear that the body perhaps may be in some

ways armed or booby-trapped. so they're taking great precautions with that. >> we'll take a look now at some of the other stories making news at this hour. the state department is warning u.s. athletes not to wear their team uniforms outside of the olympic venues because of the terror threats in sochi at this hour. and 10,000 or more americans were planning to attend the games to be more vigilant and aware of their surroundings. the shooting of a student at a university. now charged with the murder of 20-year-old robinson. robinson was shot yesterday on campus. the investigation is ongoing to determine the motive in that case. rodman may be in trouble for the expensive gits he's given to north korean leader kim jong-un. u.s. officials telling "the daily beast" that the treasury department is investigating whether the former nba player broke laws that do not allow taking luxury items into north

korea. rodman showered the communist leader with more than $10,000 in gifts. a cyber attack on the federal court system preventing lawyers from filing legal documents yesterday. the unidentified hackers causing a temporary disruption. that's a quick look at stories making news at this hour. we have an update on the heart break case out of texas. the judge siding with the family of a brain-dead pregnant woman. they're ordering the hospital to take marlise munos off life support. it re ignites questions about life and death and how far doctors should go to save a fetus. more on the decision and the woman's family waging this gut wremp wrenching fight. will? >> a very emotional day yesterday for marlise's family.

yesterday, like you said, the judge ruled because she is brain dead, that she can be taken off life support, even though she's pregnant. there is a legal issue here in that the distinction is being brain dead is legally dead compared to be in a vegetative state or coma. munoz's husband found her unconscious, at that point she was about 14 weeks pregnant. then the hospital declaring her brain dead, they left her on life support to protect the life of the unborn child per texas law. now, as of right now, munoz is about 22 weeks pregnant. earlier this week her family said that the fetus is, quote, distinctly abnormal. obviously they're not celebrating this decision, but they did get the ruling that they had hoped for. but some members of the faith community strongly disagree.

>> it was theecision we sought. there's nothing happy about today. this is a sad situation all the way around. we are relieved that eric munoz can now move forward with the process of burying his wife. >> we will continue to hope that the hospital will make a decision to appeal this decision by the court, so that the child will have a chance to live. >> small group of people came together outside the hospital last night to pray for munoz, at the same time the hospital john peter smith hospital continues to weigh its options. it read a statement last night saying it's consulting with the local district attorney's office. it can appeal, but if it doesn't, she will be taken off life support at 5:00 p.m. central monday. doug? >> will, thank you very much. at this hour, police are saying they are moving slowly as they try to identify the gunman in the maryland mall shooting,

as they release some information about the victims. we'll be bringing you the very latest on this investigation. and next, it's a revolution that began three years ago, sparking tension throughout the middle east known as the arab spring. we'll look at the developments since that uprising. stay with us. i'm beth... and i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. infrom chase. so you can.

and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere

spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

authorities have just wrapped up a press conference on the investigation into that maryland mall shooting. howard county police chief said that they do not know the identity of the suspect and gunman as of yet. but they do have some information on the victims. >> three deceased, including the shooter. the two deceased, there's an adult male, adult female, in their 20s. they're both employees of the store. we're not yet releasing the names of the victims, because we are still trying to notify next of kin, and making sure that is

done as quickly and civilly as we can. the identity of the shooter, we don't know who that is yet. when our officers approached, he was obviously deceased, but he was also still -- had a large amount of ammunition still on and about him. >> what's next for the investigators as they try to unravel what was behind today's mall shooting. mark, great to see you. you've been following the developments throughout this day. and one of the key factors i think that they're going to be -- that's going to play a big role in this is the surveillance tape. that will tell the police a lot, particularly about whether or not this was random or whether this was a targeted attack. >> well, i think the video surveillance will give them a lot of information. but all the witnesses that were really close to the shooting and might have heard it, a verbal

interaction between the victims and suspect would probably be more helpful. when they put all these together, they're going to start to develop a scenario, a theory of just how exactly it went down, and if these two victims were specifically targeted. and then the suspect withdrew to another location close by, and took his own life, or quite possibly was trying to reload and had an accidental discharge and actually shot himself by accident. we don't know what it is, but the autopsies will probably tell us that. >> the police chief there also mentioned there was another gunshot victim who was taken to the hospital, along with other people who were injured as they were trying to flee the area. some people had injuries to their feet, one person a seizure. but given what you've heard so far about the fact that the gunman was found dead near the ammunition, would suggest what to you? >> well, it suggests he had the ammunition with him.

if he had a box of shotgun shells, he would have a box of shotgun shells. we don't know what type of shotgun he had, whether he had an automatic shotgun, semiautomatic, or pump shotgun. we don't know which one he had. but this is a close-range weapon. this is a weapon that is not going to engage an opponent at a distance beyond maybe 15, 20, 25 yards. so this is a weapon that is specifically made to cause a lot of damage in close range, and he was probably using some type of double-ought buck. >> we've been focusing on mall security in itself. we know you have particular feelings about the fact that there should be more security personnel there who actually carry weapons, and a lot of malls don't have staff security that do carry weapons.

>> well, there's a false sense of security in america, that when you can control the weather, or the environment, you can control the street traffic and car traffic, somehow that's secure. surveillance can alert somebody if there's a crime in progress, but it's not going to stop a crime. then you have armed security guards that the human element can connect up to their experience, and actually confront somebody with suspicious behavior, or quite possibly trying to identify somebody that is acting outside of the norm. >> mark, always great to have your insights. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thank you. >> a dubious anniversary to a revolution that began three years ago today dubbed the arab spring, which would eventually lead to the ouster of egyptian president hosni mubarak. they're blocking the way to

tahrir square, demonstrators gathering at the square to commemorate the event. there have already been outbreaks of violence with four bombings around cairo sunday. more on what continues to be a volatile region of the world. >> three years on from the demonstrations that toppled hosni mubarak, egypt is in turmoil and the political divisions are growing. at least seven people have been killed today, as supporters of the military backed government have gathered in tahrir square, to mark the three-year anniversary. while anti-government protesters have clashed with security forces across the country. police have used tear gas and arrested hundreds of opponents of the current military regime. those killed and arrested are members of the muslim brotherhood who vowed to

continue protesting until the former president mohamed morsi is restored to power. he was ousted last summer. today's rival protests follow a rash of bombings, both yesterday and today, in which at least 20 people were killed. an al qaeda-linked group from the region has taken responsibility for the attack, though many in egypt claim the muslim brotherhood. just last week egyptian voters approved a new constitution, with a remarkable 98% voting for it. though the election has done little to bridge the gap between pro and anti-military groups. conor powell, fox news. >> conor, thank you very much. we're continuing to follow the latest on the deadly mall shooting in maryland today. at this hour, there are three people who are known to be dead. there is another victim at the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound. we're hearing from the police who are saying to us that they believe that the shooter is among the dead.

more after the break. stay with us. i need proof of insurance. that's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it does make a sound? ohhh...ugh. geico. little help here. [ female announcer ] no matter the occasion..., your home's the place everyone gathers. so be ady with a stouffer's lasagna. it's the mouthwatering recipe that keeps them coming back. stouer's. madeith care for your family.

a a

welcome back. within minutes of shah shooting taking place. individual personal accounts began to appear on social media. elizabeth prann has been following that part of the story. >> reporter: we heard official details from police throughout the afternoon giving us breaking information long before a press conference. at one point law enforcement requested witnesses tweet videos and pictures, meaning very personal and firsthand accounts were made public at the click of a button. people on twitter reported helicopters circling the building, folks leaving food in bags at the food court to run for safety, and others who claimed to have heard gun fire. this stunning photograph posted on instagram shows a swat team

hard at work inside the mall. on twitter you can see two people conversing during the confusion, posting, i'm okay. i work at pack sun when i got to work and heard gun shots. we don't know what's going on. another mall employee tweeted, i was at work during the colombia mall shooting. we're all locked down in the stock room. all i know is the mixed reports coming from twitter. that tweet posted around 12:13 p.m. eastern time when the mall remained on lockdown. many employees were unable to leave. their businesses or get any information besides what they saw on social media. after authorities gave the okay for people to leave the mall, more publicly digested the day. one man wrote, i'm home safe from the mall. no one in our store was involved in the shooting. but all of us are thankful for your prayers. the mall will remain closed at least through tonight, perhaps we'll hear from authorities via twitter when it reopens. >> absolutely. thank you very much. just to recap, we've been

following this small shooting in columbia, maryland, halfway between washington and d.c it's overwith now. three people dead, although it's an active crime scene investigation. we know two people who were employees of the zumies store are dead, as is the gunman who apparently was armed with a shotgun. police say he had a lot of ammunition, so it raises questions whether he may have been intent on causing more damage, more bloodshed in that very, very crowded mall before he ended his shooting spree by killing himself. apparently they have not yet approached the body or doing so very, very carefully out of fear that the body may be booby trapped. >> we've been asking you to tweet to us your reaction to today's mall shooting in columbia, maryland. several of you are weighing in. one viewer writes, this is so sickening. there is no end for random gun violence in this country. with jim adding, having worked

in law enforcement as well as mall security, security officers are rarely armed. only ones armed are off-duty police hired by malls in peak hours. we thank all of you for sharing those reaction with us. >> we'll be right back after the break. we'll be back with the latest headlines at the top of the hour. we thank you very much for joining us my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit probably about five times. it was different than the other times i tried to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help peoe quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. [ male announcer ] some people

had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agition, depressed mood, and suicidathoughts or actis while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix, and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. n't take chant if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help rightway if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual dreams. my quit date was my son's birthday, and that was my gift for him and me. [ male announcer ] ask your door if chantix is right for you. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition inharge™. yeah...

try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

hello, everybody. this is a fox news alert. we have new details emerging about the mall shooting in maryland that left three people dead, including the gunman. howard county police chief is saying that they do not know the identity of a suspected shooting at this time. investigators are moving slowly on this because the gunman had a large amount of ammunition and they're concerned he may have been carrying or have explosives on his body. i'm uma pemmaraju in washington. >> i'm doug mckelway. thank you for joining us. we're also getting information about the victims. the man and woman were employees at the skate store, zumies. both in their 20s. there is a lot we do not know, such as what was the motive of