9 killed in shooting at Omaha Mall.

[Flip_Side]

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

 

(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.

 

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

 

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

 

A law enforcement source identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins.

 

He was believed to be about 19 or 20, said another law enforcement official, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation.

 

Hawkins' mother found a suicide note at his home saying he wanted to "go out in style," the official said.

 

Witnesses described chaos and frantic shoppers running away from the Von Maur store, where the shooting began just before 2 p.m.

 

"You're in such shock, it's hard to think. I was hoping God would spare us," said a woman who was clutching a rosary in her trembling hand after the shootings. "We had to put up our hands and follow the police to the outside."

 

"My knees rocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just ran with everybody else," shopper Kevin Kleine told The Associated Press.

 

"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," another witness told CNN affiliate KETV. "I ran to get away from whatever was happening."

 

Others 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.

 

Some shoppers and mall employees hid in clothes racks, dressing rooms and bathrooms after hearing the shots.

 

"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.

 

Negron said it was not yet known whether the gunman said anything before opening fire, because police were still interviewing witnesses.

 

Seven people died at the scene, and two -- a man and a woman -- died after reaching Creighton University Medical Center.

 

Three of the wounded are in critical condition.

 

The gunman had a rifle and most of the victims were shot inside the Von Maur store, Negron said.

 

Police were still trying to identify the dead and were looking for a vehicle the gunman may have used to come to the mall

 

The wounded include a woman who was in surgery in critical condition; a 61-year-old man who was shot in the armpit and suffered a chest wound; a 34-year-old man who was shot in the arm and a 55-year-old man who fell and struck a clothing rack with his face as he was trying to escape.

 

President Bush visited Omaha Wednesday but left an hour before the shooting, the AP reported.

 

"The President is deeply saddened by the shootings in Omaha, Nebraska earlier today," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

 

"His thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families this evening. 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."

 

As news of the shooting spread, people gathered outside the mall, checking on loved ones who were inside.

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The shopping center will be closed until at least Thursday, police said.

 

The shooting was at least the fourth at a mall or shopping center so far this year, following incidents in Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Missouri; and Douglasville, Georgia

Edited December 6, 2007 by Flip_Side

[Coffeeman]

This is the kind of random violence that I - and I think everyone - fears most. One minute you're enjoying the shopping scene with your family, and then...wow, just wow.

 

My heart and prayers go out to the families. Words can't describe....

[broncosn05]

This is the kind of random violence that I - and I think everyone - fears most. One minute you're enjoying the shopping scene with your family, and then...wow, just wow.

 

My heart and prayers go out to the families. Words can't describe....

Yep. This can go down at any public place too...

 

Prayers.

[dmarc117]

what a friggin pos coward

[Savage Beatings]

Go out in style? I don't get this... I don't get it at all.

 

Why involve other innocent people in your suicide? It just makes no sense to me. Why does this crap keep happening?

[detlef]

Go out in style? I don't get this... I don't get it at all.

 

Why involve other innocent people in your suicide? It just makes no sense to me. Why does this crap keep happening?

Yah, really freaking stylish a-hole. Maybe if you wanted to be freaking stylish you could have put on a nice suit and hung yourself.

 

What a total POS.

[isleseeya]

This is the kind of random violence that I - and I think everyone - fears most. One minute you're enjoying the shopping scene with your family, and then...wow, just wow.

 

My heart and prayers go out to the families. Words can't describe....

 

 

my sentiments exactly ..very sad

[H8tank]

This is the kind of random violence that I - and I think everyone - fears most. One minute you're enjoying the shopping scene with your family, and then...wow, just wow.

 

Atomoranic will call you a coward and remind you that you're more likely to be stung to death by pixies than be involved in a mall shooting.

[Delicious_bass]

Another digusting display of what can happen when an individual loathes themself to the point they feel bringing misery on others will give their life some meaning or importance. Truly hard to fathom how anyone can really justify that kind of thing in their mind...

 

I am of the opinion (and have been saying for a while now) that the media needs to stop covering these stories in the manner they are. In its whorish lust for ratings, the media glorifies these events giving the shooter(s) the attention they crave as well as inspiring all the other sick twists to do the same when they feel their life is sh1t. I think the media needs to (at the very least) stop releasing the names of the perpetrators of these things. The message needs to get to these people that (despite the horrific acts they comitt) NO ONE is going to know it was them. They will go down not in glory but in cowardly annonymity much as they have lived. I think we need to start reinforcing in people's minds the idea that you're going to need to do something positive if you want to get attention or recognition.

 

Each time something like this happens and the media runs wild with it, I fear there are many depressed/sad/lost/sick people out there thinking "there's someone that made a difference, and that could be me." Instead of wallowing in their own misery or just offing themselves, they lock and load.

Edited December 7, 2007 by Delicious_bass

[detlef]

Another digusting display of what can happen when an individual loathes themself to the point they feel bringing misery on others will give their life some meaning or importance. Truly hard to fathom how anyone can really justify that kind of thing in their mind...

 

I am of the opinion (and have been saying for a while now) that the media needs to stop covering these stories in the manner they are. In its whorish lust for ratings, the media glorifies these events giving the shooter(s) the attention they crave as well as inspiring all the other sick twists to do the same when they feel their life is sh1t. I think the media needs to (at the very least) stop releasing the names of the perpetrators of these things. The message needs to get to these people that (despite the horrific acts they comitt) NO ONE is going to know it was them. They will go down not in glory but in cowardly annonymity much as they have lived. I think we need to start reinforcing in people's minds the idea that you're going to need to do something positive if you want to get attention or recognition.

 

Each time something like this happens and the media runs wild with it, I fear there are many depressed/sad/lost/sick people out there thinking "there's someone that made a difference, and that could be me." Instead of wallowing in their own misery or just offing themselves, they lock and load.

Unfortunately, we can no more demand the media not cover these sorts of things than we can demand people don't watch the news itself. I understand your point, but what you are essentially doing is trying to legislate against poor taste. The market has spoken, and the market has said it wants to see endless coverage of this thing. You can't somehow put a stop to this type of media coverage without creating a dangerous precedent regarding what other "unsavory" matters the media shouldn't be able cover or at least how they can cover them.

[Delicious_bass]

Unfortunately, we can no more demand the media not cover these sorts of things than we can demand people don't watch the news itself. I understand your point, but what you are essentially doing is trying to legislate against poor taste. The market has spoken, and the market has said it wants to see endless coverage of this thing. You can't somehow put a stop to this type of media coverage without creating a dangerous precedent regarding what other "unsavory" matters the media shouldn't be able cover or at least how they can cover them.

I hear ya, Detlef, and I agree that it is a tricky deal to start dictating what can or should be covered in the media. I just feel the sensationalization of these events is giving some of these individuals the idea that this sort of thing is worthy of people's attention. And attention/validation is what many of these individuals are sorely lacking and craving.

 

The scariest part of this trend IMO is more and more of the perpetrators seem to feel(as this one did) they are "going out in style" or in "a blaze of glory". I think if there's no coverage and no sensationalization, there's no style and there's no glory. Perhaps if some of these folks begin to think they will just be gone with no fanfare whatsoever, it may occur to them that a life is too valuable to waste in a desperate chase for recognition.

[detlef]

I hear ya, Detlef, and I agree that it is a tricky deal to start dictating what can or should be covered in the media. I just feel the sensationalization of these events is giving some of these individuals the idea that this sort of thing is worthy of people's attention. And attention/validation is what many of these individuals are sorely lacking and craving.

 

The scariest part of this trend IMO is more and more of the perpetrators seem to feel(as this one did) they are "going out in style" or in "a blaze of glory". I think if there's no coverage and no sensationalization, there's no style and there's no glory. Perhaps if some of these folks begin to think they will just be gone with no fanfare whatsoever, it may occur to them that a life is too valuable to waste in a desperate chase for recognition.

I have absolutely no argument with your sentiments.

 

I guess I'm just afraid that it's not unlike people rubber necking an accident. Nobody is shoving the car wreck down their throat but they'll be damned if they're not going to want to look. For what ever reason, people want to know. Hell, I never get caught up watching the endless BS on CNN etc. about these things but I did read the entire article in the morning paper the other day. Why? I have no idea. I knew from the headline that some useless POS took out a bunch of people and then killed himself. Did I need to know about them huddling in the storage closets? Not really. I'm certain that it was completely horrific and no specific details to that effect were needed. None the less, I read the damn thing. None the less, we're talking about it. Talking about something that basically everyone has the same opinion of.

[BeeR]

Another digusting display of what can happen when an individual loathes themself to the point they feel bringing misery on others will give their life some meaning or importance. Truly hard to fathom how anyone can really justify that kind of thing in their mind...

 

I am of the opinion (and have been saying for a while now) that the media needs to stop covering these stories in the manner they are. In its whorish lust for ratings, the media glorifies these events giving the shooter(s) the attention they crave as well as inspiring all the other sick twists to do the same when they feel their life is sh1t. I think the media needs to (at the very least) stop releasing the names of the perpetrators of these things. The message needs to get to these people that (despite the horrific acts they comitt) NO ONE is going to know it was them. They will go down not in glory but in cowardly annonymity much as they have lived. I think we need to start reinforcing in people's minds the idea that you're going to need to do something positive if you want to get attention or recognition.

Wow somebody else gets it. Thx.

 

Or at least, if another worthless loser wants to "go out in style," kill some of the media POSs.

 

(OK not really wishing that for those stupid enough to think I am)

 

I'd give a week's pay to hear a story about "some loser (name not given) TRIED to shoot others in a mall (school, whatever).....but an alert citizen (name stated repeatedly) grabbed the gun before he could, blew out the loser's kneecaps, and everyone stood around and applauded while the loser squealed in agony for hours."

 

Copycat THAT you POSs.

[Azazello1313]

i don't have a problem with the media covering this stuff extensively, it's obviously big news when it happens. what i could do without are all the stories after the fact, "what drove him to this", "what was he feeling", "what kind of note or video or whatever the f*ck did he leave?" THAT is the sort of coverage that ensures this crap will keep happening every time some hormonal little twerp starts feeling alienated or insignificant or sociopathic. i'd be happier if the post-event headlines were simply "another gutless little puke who can't cope with living destroys innocent life with his own", because that's all that really matters on a general news level. if the headshrinkers want to get all deep into what caused it to happen to try and address the symptoms in the future, fine, but when the media plasters it all over the place it only gives them the significance and notoriety that they craved so desperately to drive them to create such a spectacle in the first place.

[BeeR]

i don't have a problem with the media covering this stuff extensively, it's obviously big news when it happens. what i could do without are all the stories after the fact, "what drove him to this", "what was he feeling", "what kind of note or video or whatever the f*ck did he leave?" THAT is the sort of coverage that ensures this crap will keep happening every time some hormonal little twerp starts feeling alienated or insignificant or sociopathic. i'd be happier if the post-event headlines were simply "another gutless little puke who can't cope with living destroys innocent life with his own", because that's all that really matters on a general news level. if the headshrinkers want to get all deep into what caused it to happen to try and address the symptoms in the future, fine, but when the media plasters it all over the place it only gives them the significance and notoriety that they craved so desperately to drive them to create such a spectacle in the first place.

Also well said.

Edited December 7, 2007 by BeeR

[detlef]

i don't have a problem with the media covering this stuff extensively, it's obviously big news when it happens. what i could do without are all the stories after the fact, "what drove him to this", "what was he feeling", "what kind of note or video or whatever the f*ck did he leave?" THAT is the sort of coverage that ensures this crap will keep happening every time some hormonal little twerp starts feeling alienated or insignificant or sociopathic. i'd be happier if the post-event headlines were simply "another gutless little puke who can't cope with living destroys innocent life with his own", because that's all that really matters on a general news level. if the headshrinkers want to get all deep into what caused it to happen to try and address the symptoms in the future, fine, but when the media plasters it all over the place it only gives them the significance and notoriety that they craved so desperately to drive them to create such a spectacle in the first place.

werd