2 Shot Dead In Houston Mall

November 27, 2007 1:12 p.m. EST

Houston, TX (AHN) - A gunman shot and killed a woman in a Houston mall Tuesday morning, as she opened a lingerie store. He then fatally shot himself.

The shooting occurred at approximately 10 a.m. at the Body Luxury Store, police said, on the west side of the Greenspoint Mall.

Security guards immediately evacuated the sparsely populated shopping center, where the business day had only just begun. SWAT teams rushed to the mall entrance.

Houston Police Lt. Albert Mihalco told the Associated Press that the gunman apparently confronted his victim as she opened the security gate over the store. He said there were signs of struggle prior to the shooting.

The police are classifying the incident as a murder-suicide, KPRC Local 2 News reports.

The Greenspoint Mall is a 1.7 million-foot shopping center, located along Interstate 45 on the outskirts of Houston, just miles from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.