Terror In Omaha Mall
At least 9 people are dead in a shooting incident in an Omaha, Nebraska shopping mall. Thirteen people in all were shot and the gunman took his own life. Fox News is reporting 8 killed and 5 wounded. Police are reporting that a rifle was used in the shootings. This is ugly.
UPDATE: More information coming across now.
Witnesses said the gunman fired down on shoppers from a third-floor balcony of the Von Maur store.
The gunman was found dead on the third floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his victims were discovered on the second and third floors, police said.
"My knees rocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just ran with everybody else," said Kevin Kleine, 29, who was shopping with her 4-year-old daughter at the Westroads Mall, in a prosperous neighborhood on the city's west side. She said she hid in a dressing room with four other shoppers and an employee.
Eight victims dead plus the shooter, five wounded, two in critical condition. There isn't much more yet, but Fox did report that Omaha police were called to remove a live hand grenade from the mall parking lot just a few days ago.
UPDATE: Gateway Pundit has a roundup of local news links. KETV-Omaha reports the shooter has been identified as 19-year old Robert A. Hawkins of Bellvue, Nebraska.
OMAHA, Neb. — The shooter at Westroads Mall was identified as Robert A. Hawkins of Bellevue, according to the Sarpy County Sheriff's Department, and a suicide note said he was going to be famous.
Hawkins, 19, had been arrested on a couple of misdemeanors in November and was due in court this month. One charge included minor in possession of alcohol. He was arrested on Nov. 24. He was due in court for an arraignment on Dec. 19.
Sarpy County deputies said they are getting a warrant to search Hawkins' home in the Quail Creek neighborhood in Bellevue.
The woman who owns that house at 4302 McCartey Drive, who only gave her first name of Debra, said Hawkins had a lot of emotional instability. She said she thought he was turning things around. She said he had just learned that he was fired from McDonald's.
The KETV coverage is very detailed.
By NortonPete, Wednesday, 5 December , 2007 @ 8:05 pm
It seems the murder weapon was a rifle, from eyewitness accounts it must have been a semi auto. Perhaps an AR15 or .223 caliper.
The shooter wanted to die and did.
I cannot find a condition or object to blame.
The Virginia Tech shooter, Chou, dreamed of killing people with a hammer (a Korean movie he idolized ) but finally used a gun.
Nothing to gleam from this incident, other than we should be better parents to our children.
By Bleepless, Wednesday, 5 December , 2007 @ 8:15 pm
Had there been one armed shopper there, just one, some of the victims might still be alive. Nice job, Handgun Control.
By feeblemind, Wednesday, 5 December , 2007 @ 8:40 pm
There’s going to be a lot of sad families this Christmas.