Police: Maryland mall shooter didn`t know victims

MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md. (AP) — A man who killed two people at a Maryland mall in January acted alone, had no connection with his victims and may have had a fixation with the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, police said Wednesday.

Howard County Police Chief William J. McMahon said during a news conference that extensive searches of computers, cellphones and other records show no indication that the shooter, 19-year-old Darion Aguilar, knew the victims of the Jan. 25 shooting at the Zumiez skateboarding and snowboarding store.

Police said investigators found thousands of searches on Aguilar's computer related to mass murder.

Just before the shooting, he posted a photo of himself to the social media website Tumblr in which he is dressed in a way that resembled what one of the Columbine killers wore, McMahon said.

"Police have confirmed Aguilar waited inside the mall for over 40 minutes after being dropped off by a cab, and believe he may have been waiting to begin his shooting at the same time that the Columbine massacre started, at 11:14 a.m.," according to a police statement.

Aguilar told a doctor in April that he was hearing voices, McMahon said. The voices were "nonviolent and nonspecific," the chief said. The doctor referred him to a psychiatrist, but police could not find that Aguilar ever met with one. A review of his Internet searches found visits to mental health sites, including ones where people considering suicide seek help.

Police said they released more information about the case in an effort to bring closure for the community. However, "the investigation will continue for an unknown duration due to an ongoing analysis of evidence," according to the police statement.