A gunman has opened fire in a shopping centre in the US state of Nebraska, killing eight people before fatally shooting himself, police say.

A further five people were wounded - two critically - in the shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha.

Police have identified the gunman as Robert Hawkins, 19, from Bellevue, close to Omaha. They said a suicide note had been recovered.

Hawkins struck as the centre was crowded with Christmas shoppers.

Witnesses spoke of shoppers screaming and scrambling to find safe shelter as the gunman struck.

In a statement, President George W Bush - who visited Omaha earlier in the day for a fundraiser - said he was "deeply saddened" by the shootings.

Westroads Mall says it is the largest shopping centre in Nebraska, with more than 135 shops and restaurants.

Hiding

The incident took place inside the upmarket Von Maur department store.

Police were called at about 1400 local time (2000 GMT), after receiving a call from inside, said Sgt Teresa Negron.

Jeff Schaffart was shot in the arm as he spent his lunch break shopping with his wife, Reuters news agency reported. He said he hid in a Von Maur women's bathroom, using his tie as a tourniquet to slow the bleeding.

"I was obviously very fortunate. Not a lot of people were so fortunate today," said Mr Schaffart.

Another woman described seeing the gunman on the attack.

"I went around and then I saw the guy in the children's department," she said.

"Big tall guy, real tall and he just stood there with his arm like this, his hand straight up in the air, shooting. And then I turned and ran."

In an e-mail to the BBC, one Omaha resident, called Julie, said that she had been in a restaurant next door to Von Maur department store when the shooting began.

"Someone came in to the restaurant and advised that someone was shooting in the mall and to get out. Everyone started to run out of the small doors in Panera [the restaurant], so we were able to get out very quickly.

"I heard screaming and loud shots being fired somewhere close by. I got out of the mall before the local police department arrived."

Note

Sgt Negron told a news conference she could confirm nine deaths, including the gunman. She said five people had been injured, two in critical condition.

"We do not believe that we have any other shooter," she told reporters.

"The person we believe to be the shooter has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

The gunman, Robert Hawkins, is said to have suffered from depression in the past, and recently lost his job at a fast-food restaurant.

Police confirmed Hawkins left a suicide note. Media reports suggest in the note he said he wanted to be famous.

Mr Bush was in Omaha earlier, but left the city before the shooting occurred.

"Having just visited with so many members of the community in Omaha today, the president is confident that they will pull together to comfort one another as they deal with this terrible tragedy," the White House said in a statement.