Luis Maisonet allegedly shot and killed Zumiez manager Christopher Romero before running across the street and shooting himself inside the White House|Black Market.
An Absecon man is dead and the alleged shooter in critical condition after a daytime shooting in Atlantic City's outlet stores that has been called a domestic-related incident by authorities.
Christopher Romero, 26, a manager at Zumiez on Columbus Boulevard, was found shot inside the store at about noon, acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton said.
Luis Maisonet, 55, of Somers Point, then allegedly walked across Columbus and Arkansas Avenue, in the Walk at Tanger Outlets. He went inside the White House|Black Market, and shot himself.
Off-duty Bellmawr Police Sgt. Christopher Cummings was inside the store when the shooter walked in, according to the department's Facebook page.
After Maisonet shot himself in the torso, Cummings "managed to wrestle the firearm from the gunman before he could inflict any further harm upon himself or anyone else, and the suspect was then taken into custody," according to the statement.
Cummings "has the uncanny ability to always be in the immediate area of calls dispatched while he is working and, thankfully, for everyone's sake, that same ability put him at the right place at the right time in this off-duty event," Bellmawr Police Chief William Walsh wrote in a release.
Maisonet is currently hospitalized in police custody.
What sparked the incident has not been released by investigators.
But Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian says the shooter was the ex-boyfriend of a woman who works at another store on the Walk, and the victim was the woman's current boyfriend.
Police would not confirm that relationship.
Both stores were cordoned off by police tape Thursday afternoon as investigators searched for evidence.
"We are tremendously saddened by the violence earlier today," Zumiez CEO Rick Brooks wrote in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers go out to our store manager, who was killed, and his family and friends."
In the post on Zumiez's Facebook page, Brooks said that the company is working with area police and any information would be released through law enforcement.
"We won't be giving interviews or comments," he wrote.
The shooting came as violence has spiked in the area and hours before a free beach concert was set to start.
