Clackamas Shooting: Three dead, one injured after gunman opens fire at Town Center in Oregon

A horrific shooting at a Portland, Ore., shopping mall has claimed at least three lives, including that of the gunman who opened fire on holiday shoppers with a semiautomatic rifle.

The gunman was 'neutralized' after the Clackamas Town Center was placed on lock-down with all entrances blocked as police and SWAT teams searching the stores.

Clackamas County Sheriff's spokesman James Rhodes told reporters that the unidentified gunman murdered two people and wounded several others before he himself was killed.

Onlookers outside Clackamas Town Center in Clackamas, Ore., wait for police to secure the horrific scene

Emergency: Police, fire, and EMTSs raced to the Clackamas Town Center where a gunman opened fire on holiday shoppers

Hurt: Law enforcement confirmed there had been fatalities and several injuries but could not specify the number

Rhodes could not comment on how the gunman died.

Early reports were muddled and it was unclear if there was more than one shooter.

Rhodes said he could not say conclusively if any suspects remained at large and a search was ongoing.

Nearby roads - Sunnyside Road and the southbound lanes of Interstate 205 - had been closed by police but crews were preparing to reopen the I-205 southbound off-ramp to Sunnyside Road as of 5:15 p.m.

Law enforcement could release no further details.

The incident began at approximately 3:30 p.m. when emergency dispatchers received reports that a gunman had opened fire near the mall's food court with an AR-15.

Reporters at the scene reported up to 60 shots fired at the and said the man may have been wearing body armor.

Austin Patty, 20, who works at Macy's, said he saw a man in a white mask carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest.

He heard the gunman say 'I am the shooter,' as if announcing himself, Patty said. He then fired several shots paced seconds apart.

A series of rapid-fire shots in short succession followed. Patty said he ducked to the ground, then ran.

His Macy's co-worker, Pam Moore, told The Associated Press the gunman was short, with dark hair, dressed in camouflage. He had body armor and a rifle.

According to the Oregonian at least three people were hit in the shooting, two of whom were dead.

Initial reports indicated a second person may have also been killed but police have yet to confirm those statements.

One witness told television station KATU he saw sheets pulled over the bodies of two victims.

Shocked: People look on outside Clackamas Town Center in Clackamas, Ore., waiting to know if the gunman has been stopped

First response: A paramedic talks on the phone outside Clackamas Town Center where SWAT searched the building for victims and gunmen

Evan Walters told the station he was shopping with friends when the shooting began.

'It was kind of surreal because we hear pops and loud noises all the time because we're right here by the food court, but it's never been anything like that,' he told KATU. 'It was very definite gun shots. I think most all of us knew it was gunshots. There really was no rhyme or reason to them. There were many in a row.'

Another witness said she saw people screaming and parents clutching their children as they fled.

That witness described the witness as wearing camouflage and a mask.

Uncertain: Authorities have not confirmed whether the 'neutralized' gunman was among the dead

Shopper Kira Rowald told KGW-TV she was at Macy's with her infant when the shooting began.

'All of a sudden you hear two shots, which sounded like balloons popping," Rowland said. 'Everybody got on the ground. I grabbed the baby from the stroller and got on the ground.'

She heard people screaming and crying.

'I put the baby back in the stroller and ran like hell,' Rowland said. 'It was awful. It was shots after shots after shots like a massacre. It was just awful.'

Another shopper at Macy's, Holli Bautista, 28, was looking for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard what sounded like firecrackers popping.

'I heard people running and screaming and saying 'Get out, there's somebody shooting',' she told The Associated Press. 'It was a scene of chaos.'

Tiffany Turgetto and her husband of Gladstone had exited Macy's through the first floor when they heard the gunshots coming from the second floor of the mall.

'People in front of us people were dropping, finding covering," she told the AP. "People were yelling screaming and gasping, yelling to get out. The lady next to us, she threw a chair and started running. We couldn't run because the chair was there.'

Searching: Witnesses said the gunman started his rampage at Macy's

Christmas: Parents Christmas shopping with their children fled as the gunman opened fire

Turgetto and her husband and other people were able to quickly leave through a Baes & Noble bookstore before the police arrived and locked down the mall.

'I had left my phone at home. I was telling people to call 911. Surprisingly, people are around me, no one was calling 911. I think people were in shock.'

Hundreds of shoppers and employees stampeded out of the mall while dozens of other tried to reach safety through an exit in the department store.

One gunshot victim, was found immobile near a Gentle Dental office at 4:20 p.m.

Victims were evacuated by Three LifeFlight helicopters, all but one of which was released from the scene.

The Sheriff's department released a Twitter statement waing: 'Shooting at Clackamas Town Center. Multiple police at the scene. If you do not need to be at the mall, please stay away.'

They also asked those nearby to stay off their cell phones.

In the wake of the shooting, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber this statement: 'My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I appreciate the work of the first responders and their quick reaction to this tragic shooting. Oregon State Police Superintendent Rich Evans is on the scene.

'I have directed State Police to make any and all necessary resources available to local law enforcement.'