Woman shot dead in Adelaide department store

4.00pm

A female store employee was shot dead in front of shoppers in Adelaide's Myer department store today.

Police said a man, thought to be her husband or ex-husband, approached the woman while she worked in the city store's ground floor shoe department at 11.10am (CDT).

It was unclear how many shots were fired.

The woman was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with critical injuries but died a short time later.

No-one else was hurt, police said.

Police spokesman Mick Abbott said a 69-year-old man, from Magill in Adelaide's east, was detained by store security officials immediately after the shooting.

He was arrested by a police patrol in the store for an earlier shop lifting incident.

The woman was working in an open area of the multi-level department store, which fronts onto both Rundle Mall and North Terrace, in the heart of Adelaide.

The shoe department is about 20 metres from a North Terrace entrance.

It was unclear how many staff or shoppers were in the area at the time. It is believed Myer has offered counselling to those at the scene when the shooting occurred.

One shopper, Christine, said confusion erupted immediately after the shooting and she raced out of the store.

"You know, you think the worst, you think perhaps (it was a) terrorist attack or some crazy person," she told ABC radio.

"As I was exiting the carpark, I have never seen so many police cars (and) ambulances.

"They were swarming everywhere. They were on radios, walkie-talkies.

"There were several ambulances on North Terrace."

Snr Const Abbott said the Myer store was closed and was expected to remain so for the rest of the day.

Shoppers in the store at the time were allowed to leave after they and staff had been interviewed by police.

Christine said she didn't hear the shooting, which occurred shortly after she had entered the store.

"I raced up to the third floor, paid for some goods and then it all happened within minutes," she said.

"There was no-one on the ground floor when I looked down (to leave), it had obviously been vacated."

Police spokeswoman Kate Denman said several people were suffering from shock following the shooting.

Family and friends concerned about employees and shoppers at Myer today should call (08) 8205 9111.

"Police and Myer staff are asking that people only ring if urgent due to the number of calls they are receiving," Snr Const Denman said.

- AAP