Mall Shooting in Omaha Nebraska 9 Dead

[FunkyMonkey]

Breaking News: At least nine people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside an Omaha, Nebraska, shopping mall, police say.


(CNN) -- A gunman killed eight people and wounded five others Wednesday at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said.

The Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, is locked down after the shooting.

"We do not believe that we have any other shooter," said Sgt. Teresa Negron.

The shooting took place at the Von Maur store inside the shopping complex, which was locked down, the Nebraska State Patrol said.

Shoppers and employees walked out of the building with their hands up. Some described hiding in clothes racks and dressing rooms after hearing the shots. Video Watch witnesses describe the ordeal ?

"I was standing around getting ready to go back to work and all of a sudden I heard this bang, bang, bang -- it sounded like someone shooting fireworks," a witness told CNN affiliate KETV. "I ran to get away from whatever was happening."

Shoppers described scenes of horror as they fled the mall.

"We heard about 35, 40 shots, and on our way our we did see someone down by the escalator, bleeding," Jennifer Cramer told KETV.

Another witness said people started running frantically from the Von Maur area saying there was a shooting.

"I heard three loud pops," said mall employee Charissa Tatoon. "Immediately after that, there was a series of maybe 20 to 25 more shots up on the third floor." She said she saw a man shot on the second floor and "at least four or five" people brought out on gurneys.

Another woman who works at the mall said she saw a woman shot, and added that the shots seemed to be coming from inside the Von Maur store, on an upper level.

People were gathering outside the mall, checking on loved ones believed to be inside.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center said it had received one patient, a man shot in the upper arm. He was listed in critical condition and was taken into the operating room, said hospital spokeswoman Andrea McMaster.

The hospital was awaiting the arrival of two more people, but was unaware of their conditions, McMaster said

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/05/mall.shooting/index.html

[SamBob]

That makes me never want to go to a mall...

Some shooters seem to want to head for malls.

We had a shooter in IL. mall a few months back.

[Izzy]

For every person shot that opposed the 2nd amendment my thoughts are with them and their families

For every person shot who was pro the second amendment - you reap what you sow

[Loaded NightraiN]

Then he kills himself, fuckin pussy... Shoulda done that first thing.... FUCK 


Isint CDE from Nebraska   

[SLCPUNK]

These guys are complete cowards.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Hmm, now I've heard the old saying, "Guns don't kill people, people do." 

But wow, ya know what?  Guns make it a hell of a lot easier to kill people...lots of people...lots of people fast.  Yeah, a person could snap and decide to attack a lot of folks with a big knife or explosive concoction, but that really does take a bit more thought huh? 

9 innocent people dead.      

[SLCPUNK]

Yea, I hate that saying. It always gets thrown out when we have these shootings.

I wonder if a would be killer yielding a machete would slice up holiday shoppers and then off himself after a series of hacks to their femoral artery?

Ya know? Or would he maybe only get one whack in before being subdued?

"Machetes" don't kill people, people do." Sounds absurd then doesn't it?

[GNRreunioneventually]

Then he kills himself, fuckin pussy... Shoulda done that first thing.... FUCK?


Isint CDE from Nebraska? ?

yeah its fucked up man, i first saw it on the TV in detension. If stupid mother fuckers want to kill them selves then only put ONE round in the chamber and off yourself

its all over the radio and news stations and everything.

Although this is a sad event and something that really didn't need to happen does anyone else think that this isn't a tradegy? i mean is it just me or should there be a word between Normal and Tradegy? 9\11 was a Tradegy this, to me, is just fucked up? am i the only one that feels this way?

[FunkyMonkey]

The killer has been identified as Robert A. Hawkins, age 19 or 20, who left a suicide note stating, "I'm going out in style" and "I'm going to be famous."


This is very sad.

[SLCPUNK]

The killer has been identified as Robert A. Hawkins, age 19 or 20, who left a suicide note stating, "I'm going out in style" and "I'm going to be famous."

Who would want to be famous for being a douche bag coward, who snuffed out innocent people during the holiday season? Besides at this point, these type of shootings are so common, we're beginning to become desensitized to them.

[Bandita]

Although this is a sad event and something that really didn't need to happen does anyone else think that this isn't a tradegy? i mean is it just me or should there be a word between Normal and Tradegy? 9\11 was a Tradegy this, to me, is just fucked up? am i the only one that feels this way?

I don't think the amount of people killed should define a tragedy.  When things like this happen it always is one because maybe there were people in this maniac's life that saw that something was wrong and could have taken some steps to prevent something like this from happening.

This is very sad, indeed.

It seems he was quite troubled:
http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/12188711.html
Robert Hawkins had a history of depression. He broke up with his longtime girlfriend about two weeks ago and had just been fired from his job at a fast-food restaurant when he walked into Westroads Mall on Wednesday afternoon. The shooting began shortly before 2 o'clock

[AbominableHoman]

For every person shot that opposed the 2nd amendment my thoughts are with them and their families

For every person shot who was pro the second amendment - you reap what you sow

Oh god. 

I'm glad you found a way to plug your rhetoric into this thread, congrats. 

[Gunner80]

For every person shot that opposed the 2nd amendment my thoughts are with them and their families

For every person shot who was pro the second amendment - you reap what you sow

Oh god. 

I'm glad you found a way to plug your rhetoric into this thread, congrats. 

Give him a break, you know he can't help it. He's narissictic.

[Bill 213]

I was just watching a video on yahoo news where the kid's landlord lady (who was somewhat close to him as she allowed him to stay at her building once his family kicked him out) talked to him hours before the shooting and he was acting strange and then she even found the suicide note before it happened.? So instead of calling authorities in reference to the kid writing "Now I'll be famous"....she just thought that he was suicidal and that was that.? Welcome to 2007 you dumb bitch, call the authorities when something like that is out there.? Today, a cry for help is a lot more dangerous than it was 20 years ago.?

If someone appears to be suicidal, I know in Pennsylvania, you can call the cops and basically they will obtain that person and take them to a medical facility psychiatric wing for a few days.?

[mrlee]

only in america.

we get shootings in the UK but ive not known anyone do it because they are depressed and wanna "go out in style" LOL.

must be american media.

[AbominableHoman]

only in america.

we get shootings in the UK but ive not known anyone do it because they are depressed and wanna "go out in style" LOL.

must be american media.

Is that really the view? That there's a difference between "rest of the civilized world" shootings, and "American" shootings? That's sick.

I always though going out in style would be --I don't know-- finding another terminally ill [hot] chick, jump out of an airplane with no parachute while having sex, and then have it released as a porn.

[SLCPUNK]

If I had to go out like a champ....I'd wreck an exotic sports car, while in excess of one hundred MPH, coked out of my mind, with a 22 yr old nymphomaniac under the steering wheel.

Not that I've thought about it or anything...

[Mr. Redman]

If this happend at the mall of america, I wonder how many gangbangers out here would've shot back at 'em.

I've seen many fights at the MOA - I saw a kid kill another with an icepick. It used to be pretty brutal out here.

[norway]

Just suicide when you get too old and weak...

[AbominableHoman]

If I had to go out like a champ....I'd wreck an exotic sports car, while in excess of one hundred MPH, coked out of my mind, with a 22 yr old nymphomaniac under the steering wheel.

Not that I've thought about it or anything...

Great, cause you know, 22 yr old nymphomanias grow on trees.