Clackamas Town Center shooting

Last updated

Clackamas Town Center shooting
Clackamas mall shooting.png
Gunman Jacob Roberts shooting a victim during his rampage
Location12000 SE 82nd Avenue
Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates 45°26′10″N122°34′26″W / 45.436°N 122.574°W / 45.436; -122.574
DateDecember 11, 2012 (2012-12-11)
3:28 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. [1] [2] (PST)
Attack type
Mass shooting, murder-suicide
Weapons .223-caliber Stag Arms STAG-15 Model 2 semi-automatic rifle
Deaths3 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorJacob Tyler Roberts
DefenderNick Meli

On December 11, 2012, a shooting occurred at the Clackamas Town Center in the relatively urban section of Clackamas County, just outside the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The gunman, 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts, ran into the shopping center wearing black clothing and a white expressionless facial mask and sporadically opened fire using a Stag Arms AR-15 rifle stolen from a friend. He fired a total of 17 shots, killing two people and seriously wounding a third. Many shots were ricochets. Having attempted to reload his weapon and dropping three magazines, Roberts entered an employee-only back stairwell that runs behind all stores in the mall and committed suicide after descending one level. He had no connection to any of his victims, and it was believed to be a random act of violence. [3]

Contents

Details

Prior to the shooting

Sometime prior to the shooting, Roberts is stated to have stolen a Stag Arms STAG-15 AR-15-style rifle from an acquaintance. Immediately before the shooting, he visited a friend who lived two miles away from the Clackamas Town Center, smoked marijuana with him, and claimed that he was moving to Hawaii. [1] He drove to the mall sometime later and parked at the south side between Macy's and Chipotle Mexican Grill. He ran into the mall through Macy's department store at 3:28 p.m., [1] wearing a white expressionless facial mask and dressed in a black sweater and black pants. He was armed with the AR-15. He was also carrying five loaded magazines, one of which he accidentally dropped in the parking lot while entering the mall. [1]

Roberts legally bought four additional 30-round ammunition magazines and the ammunition to fill them at three local stores, including a Walmart, The Gunbroker, and Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters. When he stole the unsecured AR-15 from a friend, it was loaded with a 30-round ammunition magazine. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people were inside the mall at the time. People who first saw him run into the mall believed the tactical clothing and hockey mask were a paintball outfit and that the rifle was a toy. [4]

Shooting

Standing in a large atrium, Roberts first opened fire at the mall's food court that was across from him at his left. The first person shot was 54-year-old shopper Cindy Ann Yuille, a hospice nurse and mother of two who was shot in the back; she died despite efforts of bystanders to treat her wound. [1] Fifteen-year-old Kristina Shevchenko, who was walking through the mall with her friend to reach the Town Center MAX station, was the second person to be shot; she received a bullet to the chest, but she survived and made it out of the mall, where she was treated for her gunshot wound. [4] The final victim was 45-year-old youth sports coach Steven Forsyth, the father of future NFL player Alex Forsyth, who was sitting by a rented kiosk and talking to his father on his cell phone when he was shot in the head and killed. [5]

At this point, hundreds of people fled the mall after hearing the gunshots, but many remained inside and dashed to cover. Roberts headed further toward the food court, firing at 16-year-old employee Alina Pavlenko, who was over 100 feet away, but missed. He also dropped three other magazines in his possession. [1] He then turned back and headed toward a JCPenney store. He attempted to reload the AR-15 at that point, but was unable to do so, the weapon having apparently jammed. During that time, Nick Meli, a concealed carry permit holder, drew his Glock 22, claimed to have taken aim at Roberts, but did not fire since there was a bystander behind Roberts. Meli claims that Roberts saw him and that this may have contributed to Roberts' decision to commit suicide. [6]

Shooting ends

Roberts then ran into a back storage corridor, where he encountered employee Rok Sang Kim, who had returned from recycling boxes and therefore hadn't heard the gunfire. Roberts pointed the rifle at him, but didn't shoot him, instead running down a flight of stairs onto a lower floor. There, he committed suicide at 3:50 p.m. [4] In the chaos of the first few minutes after the shooting, there were expectations of mass casualties. Police responded to the scene minutes later and spent the following hours searching the mall for hiding civilians, injured victims, and a possible second shooter, while dozens of ambulances arrived with the expectations of treating dozens of wounded victims, but treated only Kristina Shevchenko for a serious gunshot wound. [4] Roberts fired only seventeen rounds during the entire shooting, including the one to kill himself. An additional 128 rounds were found in the magazines he dropped and on his person. [1] The manager of Justice was a pregnant woman who secured shoppers in their backroom as they hid from the shooter. As a result of the stress & trauma, she was hospitalized and put on life support. They were able to save her baby, but the woman passed.

By the next day, the mall was cleared of civilians, but continued to remain under lock-down. It is believed Roberts targeted random people and did not have a specific target in mind. [7] [8] [9]

Victims

Two people were killed in the shooting, 54-year-old Cindy Ann Yuille and 45-year-old Steven Forsyth. A third person, 15-year-old Kristina Shevchenko, was shot in the side of the chest and seriously injured, but survived. [1] [9] Several others also suffered minor bruises and scrapes suffered while fleeing. [4]

Perpetrator

Jacob's drivers license photo, undated Jacob-Tyler-Roberts.jpg
Jacob's drivers license photo, undated

Jacob Tyler Roberts (March 16, 1990 – December 11, 2012) was identified as the sole perpetrator of the shooting. He lived in the Lents neighborhood in southeast Portland. [7] Roberts was raised by his aunt Tami Roberts; his biological mother, Teresa Anne Roberts, died from cancer in February 1993, shortly before his third birthday. Court records and family indicated that the identity of his father is unknown. He had been estranged from his aunt Tami Roberts since the time he was 18 years of age, though the aunt declined to comment on the reason, saying only that it was unrelated to an $18,000 inheritance from Roberts's grandmother that court documents allegedly show Tami Roberts misappropriated. [10] He attended Milwaukie High School in Milwaukie, Oregon for the first three years and later transferred during his senior year to Oregon City High School in Oregon City, Oregon, graduating in 2008. He attended Clackamas Community College in 2009.

Prior to the shooting, Roberts worked at a Portland gyro restaurant, Big Bertha's on S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., a popular late-night eatery in the infamous "Barmuda Triangle" known for six hard pouring bars within a two-block radius. [9] [11] He was loved by his employer, as well as many friends. [10] Roberts lived with a few roommates in a house ten minutes away from the shopping center. He had plans of joining the United States Marine Corps, but he abandoned these dreams after a bicycle accident that broke his foot. Over the month prior to the shooting, Jacob had slowly sold his belongings, including a legal handgun, resigned from his job at the gyro shop, and told his friends and colleagues that he was planning to move to Hawaii. He told several friends the Friday before the shooting he had missed his flight and told them he had rebooked it. He also purchased at least four magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from local stores during that same timeline. [1] [4]

Reactions

Memorial to victims of shooting at mall entrance Clackamas Town Center shooting memorial.jpg
Memorial to victims of shooting at mall entrance

When President Barack Obama delivered a speech regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he mentioned other shooting rampages that occurred in the U.S. within previous months, including the incident at the Clackamas Town Center. [12]

On March 28, 2013, a candlelight vigil was held at the mall, organized against gun violence and one of more than 120 events held nationwide to commemorate the National Day of Action to Reduce Gun Violence. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Valley Mall</span> Shopping mall in New York, United States

Hudson Valley Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Ulster, New York, north of Kingston, United States. It is the lone mall in Ulster County and is the only enclosed mall located between Poughkeepsie and Albany. Hull Property Group currently owns and operates Hudson Valley Mall. The mall opened in 1981 and has an area of 765,704 square feet (71,136 m2) on one level with 19 shops and restaurants as well as a 12-screen Neighborhood Cinema Group theater. As of 2023, the mall maintains a Dick's Sporting Goods, and Target, as well as a handful of specialty stores. Adjacent to the mall is Hudson Valley Plaza, a two-tiered complex on a west-facing hill, consisting mainly of a Walmart, PetSmart. Across from the mall on 9W is Ulster Crossings. That shopping center has a Michaels, LL Bean, Five Below and a few other stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shootout</span> Combat between two parties using firearms

A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is an armed confrontation entailing firearms between armed parties using guns, always entailing intense disagreement(s) between the fighting parties. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to describe combat situations primarily using firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clackamas Town Center</span> Shopping mall in Oregon, United States

Clackamas Town Center is a shopping mall established in 1981 in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, located on unincorporated land in the Clackamas area of Clackamas County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is managed and co-owned by Brookfield Properties and is currently anchored by JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's and a separate Macy's Home/Backstage store. It also includes a 20-screen Century movie theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynolds High School (Oregon)</span> Public school in Troutdale, Oregon, United States

Reynolds High School (RHS) is the only public high school in Troutdale, Oregon, United States, in the northeastern part of the Portland metropolitan area. It is part of the Reynolds School District, and is the second-largest high school in Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolley Square shooting</span> Mass shooting at shopping mall in Utah, US

The Trolley Square shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on the evening of February 12, 2007, at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. A gunman identified as Sulejman Talović killed five bystanders and wounded four others before being shot dead by several members of the Salt Lake City Police Department. Authorities were not able to determine a motive.

The Crandon shooting was a mass murder that occurred about 2:45 a.m. CDT on October 7, 2007, at a post-homecoming party inside a duplex in Crandon, Wisconsin, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Tyler James Peterson, who was a full-time deputy in the Forest County Sheriff's Department and a part-time officer with the Crandon Police Department, shot and killed six people and critically injured a seventh before committing suicide. One of the victims, 18-year-old Jordanne Michele Murray, was Peterson's former girlfriend, and it was believed that a dispute within the apartment motivated the shooting.

In the early morning hours of December 9, 2007, 24-year-old Matthew John Murray opened fire at the Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada, Colorado, killing two and wounding two others before escaping. Later that afternoon, he attacked the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with a number of firearms, killing two more people and injuring three before being shot by Jeanne Assam, a member of the church's safety team. Murray then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geneva County shootings</span> Mass shooting in Geneva and Samson, Alabama

On March 10, 2009, Michael Kenneth McLendon, 28, fatally shot ten people and wounded six others between the communities of Kinston, Samson, and Geneva, Alabama. McLendon's shooting spree was the deadliest mass shooting in Alabama's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sello mall shooting</span> Mass shooting at a mall in Espoo, Finland

The Sello mall shooting occurred on the morning of 31 December 2009 shortly after 10:08 local time at the Prisma hypermarket in Sello mall, located in the Leppävaara district of Espoo, Finland. Ibrahim Shkupolli, Albanian born in Yugoslavia but had lived in Finland for many years, shot three men and one woman who all worked at Prisma. Before the shooting, he had killed his ex-girlfriend at her home. After the shooting, Shkupolli left the mall and killed himself in his own apartment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westroads Mall shooting</span> 2007 mass shooting in Omaha, Nebraska

On December 5, 2007, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins shot and killed eight people and wounded five others in a Von Maur department store at Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head. It was the deadliest mass murder in Nebraska since the rampage of Charles Starkweather in 1958. It is also the deadliest mass shooting in Nebraska history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Santa Monica shootings</span> Shooting spree in Santa Monica, California, US

On June 7, 2013, a spree shooting occurred in Santa Monica, California. Its catalyst was a domestic dispute and subsequent fire at a home, followed by a series of shootings near and on the Santa Monica College campus. Six people were killed, including the suspect, and four injured. The shooter—23-year-old John Zawahri—was killed by police officers when he exchanged gunfire with them at the Santa Monica College library.

On November 1, 2013, a terrorist attack occurred at around 9:20 a.m. PDT in Terminal 3 of the Los Angeles International Airport. 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia opened fire with a rifle, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer and injuring several other people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Umpqua Community College shooting</span> 2015 mass shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, US

A shooting occurred on October 1, 2015, at the Umpqua Community College campus near Roseburg, Oregon, United States. Chris Harper-Mercer, a 26-year-old student who was enrolled at the school, fatally shot an assistant professor and eight students in a classroom, and injured eight others. Roseburg police detectives responded to the incident and engaged Harper-Mercer in a brief shootout. After being wounded, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The mass shooting is the deadliest in Oregon's modern history.

On July 30, 2016, a mass shooting occurred during a house party held by students of the University of Washington and Kamiak High School in the community of Mukilteo. Three people were killed and a fourth was injured. Afterwards, the gunman fled the scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Tehama shootings</span> 2017 shooting spree in Rancho Tehama, California, US

On November 13–14, 2017, a series of shootings occurred in Rancho Tehama, an unincorporated community in Tehama County, California, U.S. The gunman, 44-year-old Kevin Janson Neal, died by suicide after a Corning police officer rammed and stopped his stolen vehicle. During the shooting spree, five people were killed and eighteen others were injured at eight separate crime scenes, including an elementary school. Ten people suffered bullet wounds and eight were cut by flying glass caused by the gunfire. The injured victims were transported to several area clinics and hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood Park Mall shooting</span> Shooting in Greenwood, Indiana

On July 17, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, United States. The shooting began at 5:56 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) and lasted less than one minute. Three people were killed and two others were injured in the shooting before the perpetrator, 20-year-old Jonathan Sapirman, was fatally shot by 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken, a legally-armed civilian bystander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Bend, Oregon shooting</span> Mass shooting in Bend, Oregon

On August 28, 2022, a gunman opened fire at a Safeway grocery store in Bend, Oregon, killing two men, one of whom was an employee, and wounding two other people before committing suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting</span> Mass shooting in St. Louis, Missouri

On October 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the Southwest Garden neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States when a 19-year-old former student opened fire on students and staff, killing two and injuring seven before being fatally shot by police.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ""Clackamas Town Center Shooting: After-Action Report"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  2. "Clackamas shooting: A year later, impact of the tragedy still being felt at the mall"
  3. Carson, Teresa (December 12, 2012). "Oregon mall shooting appears to be lone, random rampage". Reuters via Chicago Tribune .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Clackamas Town Center shooting: 22 minutes of chaos and terror as a gunman meanders through the mall"
  5. Canzano, John. "A loss on the football field put in its place by No. 75". Oregon Live. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  6. "Clackamas mall shooter faced man with concealed weapon". kgw.com. KGW.
  7. 1 2 Martinez, Michael (December 12, 2012). "'I have lived one crazy life so far,' Oregon mall gunman says on Facebook". CNN . Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  8. Johnston, Ian; Raftery, Isolde (December 11, 2012). "Two people shot to death at mall in Portland, Oregon; gunman also dies". NBC News . Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 Bella, Rick (December 12, 2012). "Clackamas Town Center shooting: Killer was Jacob Tyler Roberts; fatalities were Steve Forsyth, Cindy Ann Yuille". The Oregonian via OregonLive.com . Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  10. 1 2 Dubois, Steven; Rachel La Corte (December 14, 2012). "Jacob Tyler Roberts' Injury Dashed Oregon Mall Shooter's Hopes Of Being Marine". Huffington Post Crime. Huffington Post.
  11. Anderson, Jennifer (December 12, 2012). "Shooter: 'I'm the kind of person who's going to do what I want'". Portland Tribune .
  12. "Connecticut school shooting: Barack Obama calls for 'meaningful action, regardless of politics'". The Daily Telegraph . December 15, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012.
  13. "Candlelight vigil against gun violence to be held tonight at Clackamas Town Center"