[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

UPDATE 11:30: Authorities have just declared that the shooter has left the mall. He remains at large with his long arm rifle.

UPDATE 11:26: People were “hysterically crying” as they fled the mall.

UPDATE 11:25 PM EST:  Thousands of people are still under lockdown. Authorities have only found one round casing which means at this time evidence suggests, only one shot has been fired.

UPDATE 11:19 PM EST:  Authorities have still not located the gunman. There are discrepancies  regarding the amount of shots that were fired.  Eye witness accounts describe seeing a man dressed in black, wearing a motorcycle helmet, and holding a long range rifle.

UPDATE 11:07 PM EST:  Bomb squad is actively combing the mall for hidden explosives. The suspect is still at large while many are still hiding and crouching in department stores and hiding spots.

UPDATE 11:05 PM EST: YWN has learned that a small amount of shoppers are slowly being released under much protection from swat teams and local police.

UPDATE 10:10PM EST: YWN spoke to two sisters who are currently in the mall. One of them is currently being questioned by police as she was an eyewitness to the shooter. The other sister is currently inside Neiman Marcus, where she was rushed into after hearing two shots fired. The mall remains on lockdown.

UPDATE 10:02PM EST: An eyewitness tells Breaking911.com that they heard two shots, and a security guard rushed them into Neiman Marcus, where they remain in lockdown. Stores are on lockdown at the Garden State Plaza in Paramous, New Jersey, after at least one gunman opened fire Monday night. According to a police source, the shooting began near the Nordstrom’s department store on the second level of the mall. At least eight shots have been fired. Police and SWAT teams from surrounding areas are en route to the scene. Many of the stores inside the mall are on lockdown.

(Source: Breaking911.com)