Omaha Mall Shooting Leaves 9 Dead
We all will be talking about this tonight: Witnesses say a man fired on shoppers in a busy Omaha, NE mall today. Police are seeking a suspect. Dozens of police and sheriff’s cars surrounded the mall and some reports have as many as five have been shot.
Update: Nine dead, including the shooter. No names released.
Update: Robert A. Hawkins of Bellevue, NE, was identified as the shooter. He was 19 or 20. Officials report that his mother found a suicide note saying he wanted to “go out in style.”
December 5th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Props to the Omaha Police. I work just across from the mall. Who ever knew there were this many officers in our city. Tragedy brings out the best in many. All of this on a day the President just left town.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Via MSNBC:
OMAHA, Neb. – A sniper opened fire at a busy Omaha mall, killing at least eight people, injuring at least five others and then killing himself, police officials said.
Witnesses told NBC affiliate WOWT-TV that the shooter pointed a gun over a third-floor railing at Westroads Mall and opened fire. He then fatally shot himself, the station reported. Police locked the mall down in the aftermath.
At least three were taken to local trauma centers. A 61-year-old man was in surgery in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest, WOWT-TV reported. Two other people were being treated at trauma centers for less serious injuries. There was no immediate word on their conditions.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Maybe being that close to your president made him insane lol.
(kidding)
December 5th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
“Your President”? Who is ‘your’?
December 5th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Waiting for the civil liberties vultures to step in and start litigating the DAMN FINE POLICE work.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
A joke Rae, as in not MY president. I sure as hell didn’t vote for him.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I know it was a joke.
I’m not sure Dick Cheney would find it funny, though.
(Dick’s sensitive about firearms these days.)
December 6th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Sad.
What was the talk about him just being fired from McDonalds?
December 6th, 2007 at 2:51 am
He sure looks the part.
I read somewhere that his suicide note said that he wanted to be famous, but really, who’s going to remember his name in two years? Apart from victims’ families, that is.
December 6th, 2007 at 2:54 am
[...] Omaha Mall Shooting Leaves 9 Dead [...]
December 6th, 2007 at 4:50 am
Let’s hope that is the case Alex. I don’t know that the victems or their families will be remembered when all the media does is publicize the criminal.
I don’t get this type of crime at all. I truely beleive they are fueled on by the media’s attention to it.
How sad for those who died and their families and his family.
December 6th, 2007 at 4:57 am
I’m so sorry.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:08 am
This story is so horrible. And the horror of it all is that we’re not shocked. We’re used to this behavior now. So close to Christmas, and he took 9 lives because he wanted to be famous. He told the lady he was living with he was sorry and that he was a piece of shit. I have to agree.
BTW – I did vote for Bush, and would again if possible. Just wanted to back him up since he’s been dissed on this blog.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Oh God Kimpossible, they will hate you for that. I voted for Bush too. The best Pres I ever voted for was Ronald Reagan. Think I’ll vote for Guiliani this time.
Personally, I wanted to see Condi Rice run. she’d have slammed old socialist Hillary hands down!
Getting to the shooter (since this is what it’s all about), another depressed kid just wanting attention from anywhere. I feel most sorry for the victims’ families, but gotta also feel for the shooter’s family. Has to be a horrible feeling for your kid to do such a thing.
I live less than 15 miles from VA Tech. I know Cho’s family was devastated as were the families of the victims as they gave an interview for Tech’s newspaper that alot of us read. Many of my coworkers have kids there and left work like crazy (we all knew about the 1st shooting by 8:30am from local radio). A freaky day. My son will be going to Tech in a year. He was somewhat rattled because alot of his friends go to Tech. All were OK and not injured or in any of the classes thank God.
December 6th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Here in Israel a person cannot enter a shopping mall without being checked by a security guard. Of course, this is against a terrorist attack. But it should be done in the States against further attacks like the one in Omaha. May those who were wounded get well quickly and to those who lost their lives my sincere condolences to the families.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Chaya,
In America, we have too many liberals who are more concerned with “civil liberties” than the safety of the innocent. Glad to know Israel gets it! Anyone who agrees that safety of the honest and law abiding citizen comes FIRST has no problem with being searched. I sure don’t.
I have no doubt when Iran (or any other nation in the middle-east) chooses to come up against you, your nation will turn them into a “sea of glass.”
I agree with you in hope the injured will get back to health soon and those who lost loved ones will find comfort.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:44 am
I voted for Bush, myself. And I regret it.
Godspeed to the victims, and condolences to all the families involved.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:45 am
The lengths some people take just to get noticed!
It’s sad that the shock factor behind this murder spree is wane. What next?
The idea for metal detectors at malls is a fine one…but with some schools, airports, court houses, etc. already metal-proofed, do we realy want to go about our daily lives as if we live in jail an in constant fear/paranoia just to go to GAP or Macy’s?
I know we’re pretty much already there…
December 6th, 2007 at 7:47 am
LOL, Kim knows I dont hate her because I dont like her President.
I happen to agree with everyone with metal detectors at least at the doors of malls and schools. Maybe not being checked (last concert I went to they were checking everyone and they didnt have enough people doing it, so the lines backed up for hours and it was COLD out). Thankfully this ISNT Israel, and it doesnt happen every week. Sure is happening a lot lately though.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I voted for Bush too and I think he has been nothing but an embarrassment to our country.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Metal detectors in a mall is a fine idea, Except…
they will find other ways to do this in a place that doesn’t have metal detectors. What next? At all movie theaters? In front of every restaurant? After the Luby’s shooting and the McDonalds shooting should we have started then?
I don’t have any issues being a law abiding citizen (one that has a permit to carry a gun), but it seems to me that they will all find a way to become infamous.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Nah, Melissa loves me! We also never discuss politics, we’re too smart for that!
Chaya, thanks for commenting. I totally agree that we should have metal detectors at our malls, but thinking about the cost factor (most malls have multiple entrances), I can’t see that happening anytime soon. Shoot, it would take our government years to pass a law to mandate that anyway, what with the fighting that goes on in Congress and the Senate, only because both sides always want to be right, and usually for no other reason but to profit their own agenda. And don’t read into that comment, everyone, I’m not lumping my president into that category
This is so tragic, it’s going to make everyone look suspiciously at all those around us, especially this time of year when everyone is wearing heavy coats. My heart goes out to the victim’s families, and for the people that survived too. They’ll never be the same again, and will need psychological help for years to come.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Safety is such an ‘inconvenience’ at times, especially when we’re just on the go.
But that seems to be when terror strikes and strikes hard…as we go along our way, unsuspecting and then BOOM.
Luby’s, McDonald’s, Oklahoma City Bombing, Atlanta Olympics, various schools and college campuses, malls, DC Sniper Shootings, 9-11…the list could go on and on of moments when innocent, unsuspecting lives were snatched away because we felt safe and had no reason to fear.
My mom always told me to treat others with courtesy and respect and mind your own business and that’s what you’ll get in return.
Mom, I disagree.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:37 am
I almost hate to post this because I don’t want to give terrorists an idea but I recently went from Raleigh to NYC via Amtrak. We were allowed the same amount of luggage as the airplanes, however, we could lock them and they never inspected them. Add on to that there were no metal detectors or x ray machines anywhere around, you could just walk up to the train no questions asked from outside even. I thought about this while on the trip and it sort of startled me how easily we could miss the raleigh train and catch it at its’ next stop without being questioned etc.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Jeanne, I’ve often thought of that same situation while taking train rides.
It recently crossed my mind over the T’giving holiday as well. A friend’s son caught a ride home from college with some friends for the holiday; however he rode the Greyhound back to school. I accompanied her at the bus station to board his bus. Needless to say, there are several, suspect, interesting parties that frequent bus stations. He had 3 bags to be checked in, but neither bag was scanned for weapons and /or drugs. No id’s checked. No information was retrieved from passengers except their destination point and the cost of the fare.
I’d hate for a terrorist attack to hit the trains and busses in order for our gov’t to crank up safety there.
Scary as hell.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I agree…except that you can’t drive a bus or, especially, a train, into a building and kill thousands of people. The damage would be bad, but limited. When it comes to attacking the USA, with terrorists, it’s not just about killing Americans – it is about power.
Hijacking an airliner and flying it into a skyscraper to kill thousands of people is a much more powerful and lasting statement than driving a bus into a building and killing hundreds. That’s what gets people like ben Laden off – the bigger the action, the more thrill he gets from it, and the more he impresses the world with the results of his mission.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Except Bin Laden didn’t have the guts to do it – he had “martyrs” to do it for him. Evil old barstool!
December 6th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Every time this happens, everyone wants to state the obvious and yell “crazy bad man!” NO SHIT. But does anyone know why? Sounds like this guy started off as a good natured kid who loved animals and was very nice… How in God’s name does it come to this? Is he just another victom of a competitive, get all you can, everyone out for themselves, city state society? These horrific actions are all to common now, and are merely the physics of our social structure. “For every action, there is an equal and opposing reation”
This isn’t about being famous (he could have run accross a football field naked on you-tube) it’s a rebound of the negative energy going into the situation. I do not at all condone what he did… I condemn whatever the hell it is, that transforms a normal everyday kid into a stone cold terrorist! In the history of even the most violent human behavior, there has never been anything similar to what is happening here.
Our competative social structure more and more often, finds ways to persecute good intentions. In these cases, the most persicuted become the persicutioners.
It may seem like this can happen anywhere. The answer is NO. This will not happen where there is a healthy sense of community. The one person that reached out to this young man proved to little, to late. The rest of his community failed, they destroyed one life X9… because when someone looses, we all loose.
December 6th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Well put Scratch. I have heard a lot people say that they felt bad for this teenager. As a society, if we always reach out, rather then turn our noses up there might be less of this happening today.
December 6th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Has any detailed information come out about the shooter? Any history of mental instability?
December 6th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Yes Terri. He has been in and out of treatment for years. His parents kicked him out and he was off his meds.
I don’t mean to sound bitchy but do you come to crimerant for crime news or to rant and/or discuss crime news?
Because its for the former not the latter. The guys are not journalists, they are crime writers. And they don’t have an AP feed at the top of the page.
December 6th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
lol Melissa. Your patience must be gone for the night.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:53 am
p.s. I might be wrong, but I think they actually are journalists. But I get what you’re saying…this isn’t CNN.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:04 am
Trying to place blame or figure out why this boy – that keeps being referred to as a man – killed himself and took the lives of innocent people the way he did is what has escaped every individual who sees this story or experiences the grief. I don’t think this can be understood. I think this is one of the saddest pieces of our now modern history that somehow kids want to be “famous” for killing others. Perhaps if we look how the media handles these stories we might be able to make some change. The mind set of these kids that act on being on the front page of the newspaper and splattered all over cnn for 48 hours are so sadly mistaken they will be famous. I believe this is where we must start to make any change to the far to often occurrence.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:19 am
I am a liberal and concerned about civil liberties…but that is not synonmous with security. Instead of foolishly spending billions on the occurpation in Iraq, (a country that did not attack us), I wish we would have spent that money on increased security in the United States, improved mental health services, laws to make insurance companies actually provide mental health services for the length of time deemed necessary by mental health providers, education, parental services etc.
Bush is an idiot, btw.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
That would be ideal Jam but we already have many resources available and if someone wants help, they can usually get it. I believe that people have to want help AND THEY have to believe they need it. Only then can they be helped.
I have already stated that I voted for Bush and I feel that he has proved himself to be an embarrassment. I still believe that but I have to say that we have probably been lied to and duped by other presidents. The media wasn’t the industry it is today so we don’tknow the half of what the other presidents have put us through unnecessarily.
December 9th, 2007 at 6:49 am
I agree with you on both points.