US News
At least nine dead in Omaha mall shooting (Roundup)
Dec 6, 2007, 11:46 GMT
Omaha police walk out of the Von Maur department store after a gunman reportedly shot and killed nine people, including himself, at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, on 05 December 2007. The attack made holiday shoppers run screaming through the mall and barricade themselves in dressing rooms. Five more people were wounded, two critically. EPA/ALYSSA SCHUKAR
Washington - At least eight people were killed when a gunman opened fire before apparently taking his own life at an Omaha shopping mall in the US state of Nebraska, police said Wednesday.
Another five people were injured and two remained in critical condition, Police Chief Thomas Warren said in a televised press conference.
The shooter died of a 'self-inflicted gunshot wound,' police Sergeant Teresa Negron of the Omaha police said earlier.
Police identified the shooter as 19-year-old Robert Hawkins and said he left a suicide note, but they would not discuss its contents.
He had reportedly lost his job at a fast food restaurant and was described as 'very disturbed and depressed,' local television reported.
A witness working in the Westroads Mall at the time told a local CNN affiliate that the shooting 'looked like it was random.' Chuck Wright described the gunman leaning over the counter of the Van Maur department store and shooting one person in the head.
'All of a sudden I heard this bang, bang, bang,' Wright said.
Police received the first of several emergency calls about the shooting at 1:42 pm (1942 GMT) and officers arrived on the scene at 1:48 pm (1948 GMT), where victims were found on two floors of the department store, police said.
Other witnesses described widespread panic as people hit the ground and huddled together in shops. Witnesses said the shooter fired about 15 or 20 shots.
The shooting 'appears to be very random and without provocation,' Warren said, noting the victims, five females and three males, may have been a combination of store employees and shoppers.
All of the victims died of their injuries after being brought to local area hospitals, police said.
US President George W Bush, who had visited Omaha earlier in the day, offered his condolences in a statement, saying he was 'confident that they will pull together to comfort one another as they deal with this terrible tragedy.' Bush had attended a health care meeting and a campaign event in the Midwestern city of 420,000 and left about an hour before the incident began.
Warren described the crime scene as 'very extensive' and said the police investigation was ongoing.
Van Maur is a regional department store chain with 22 stores in nine US states.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
So much for conservative values learned by growing up Christian in the heartland of America! P.S. Assault rifles don't kill people, people kill people!.
If assualt rifles weren't readily available, people wouldn't be getting killed, and, of course, the heartland is the only place where disturbed people reside - LOL!!
very stupid comment Sir!! Imagine this guy with a knife?? You think he could've done this much killing?
Last year USA had 14,000 Gun related killing and UK with 50!!!!!!
Another question, is he a terrorist?? Muslims do it for 72 virgins and this guy killed for 'fame'??!!!
zeitgeistmovie.com and see the part II to understand the sheeple of America.
Totally!!!!!
No Muslim - he was a 17 yr old, disturbed guy with a history of problems!
If you take away the guns, then losers like this kid will just build pipe bombs and start throwing them into crowds, or the girl's locker room, etc. The killing isn't going to stop anytime soon, if they want to hurt someone, they're going to find a way. We need to stop blaming inanimate objects for these cowardly crimes, and figure out why our younger generation thinks it's cool to kill innocent people they've never met. This mentality is getting worse and we need to get to the bottom of it. That punk actually thought he would die 'famous'? What was wrong with him? He's the most hated person in this country right now, he's not famous, everybody thinks he's a cowardly loser!
Why are our kids thinking this way? The answer to that question is what we should be concentrating on. There were more guns available to more people in the past, yet now is the only time in history that this behavior is being exhibited. Something is horribly wrong. And it's not a piece of metal's fault. It's some glitch in our society.
This kid came from a broken home, was floundering and apparently didn't get the help he needed. If people would concentrate on trying to build a stable home for these kids they insist on bringing into the world, either by choice or by mistake, maybe it WOULD be a better place. Some of these people are too wrapped up in what they want or don't want, and the kids end up being extra baggage they don't really want to deal with.
He should have been exterminated at birth!
People kill People, Not Guns!
Also a U.S. Marine Combat Veteran.
Exterminated at birth??? What a hateful thing to say, and from a Marine to boot - someone who shoud be protecting life and not hell bent on destroying it or is that the 'Marine' attitude? This guy was very disturbed and probably fell through the cracks like so many, and drugs also, no doubt, played a role in his personality.
The gun lobby consists of brainless people .So take away the guns and shooters will start building pipe bombs,right ?Except it never happened anywhere .So much for NRA stupidity .Enough said...
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Coincidence?Dec 6th, 2007 - 12:15:09
Bush was in Omaha too? Well, Bush's 8 years of rule is creating a lot of depressed jobless nuts with guns!!
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