Westroads Mall shooting
Von Maur shooting at Westroads Mall | |
---|---|
murder-suicide | |
Weapons | WASR-10 7.62×39mm semi-automatic rifle[1] |
Deaths | 9 (including the perpetrator) |
Injured | 6 (4 from gunfire)[2] |
Perpetrator | Robert Arthur Hawkins[3] |
On December 5, 2007, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins shot and killed eight people and wounded four others in a Von Maur department store at Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head.[4] It was the deadliest mass murder in Nebraska since the rampage of Charles Starkweather in 1958.[5] It is also the deadliest mass shooting in Nebraska history.
Prior to shooting
An hour before the rampage,
Surveillance footage showed that Hawkins, unarmed at first, entered the south entrance of the Von Maur department store at about 1:36 p.m. CST (19:36
Shooting
At approximately 1:43 p.m. CST (19:43 UTC), Hawkins stepped out of the elevator on the third floor and opened fire. He first killed two women standing by some clothing racks before firing down the atrium, killing two men on the first and second floors. He then wounded two people on the third floor, one fatally, before walking to the customer service desk, where he shot several people, killing three. Hawkins then committed suicide by shooting himself upwards through the chin.[12][13][14] He fired more than 30 rounds, striking 12 people. Six were killed instantly, one died before reaching the hospital, and another died 45 minutes after reaching the ER of another hospital.[15]
Omaha Police arrived at Westroads Mall about six minutes after receiving the first 911 call. Audio tapes and transcripts of the 911 calls, along with images captured by mall security
An autopsy of Hawkins showed that he had 200
Victims
Eight people were killed by Hawkins during the shooting. Six were employees at the Von Maur store and the remaining two were customers. They are:[18]
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Four of the victims shot by Hawkins survived. Two critically injured were store employees.
Another surviving victim was customer Jeff Schaffart, 34, who was treated and released at UNMC for a gunshot wound to the left arm and the little finger of his left hand. The Omaha Police Department announced on December 22, 2007, that Mandy Hyda, 34, received a bruise when a bullet fragment struck her left leg.[2] She was neither transported nor treated for the injury.[22] It was initially reported that there were five people injured (not including Hyda), but two of those at the scene who were sent to local hospitals were sent for reasons other than being shot by Hawkins.[4]
Perpetrator
Robert Arthur Hawkins
During his second hospitalization, he was diagnosed with an unspecified
Hawkins was ticketed on November 24, 2007, for suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two alcohol charges,
Aftermath
In the days following the tragedy, the Von Maur store was thronged on all sides by flowers and signs expressing condolences, and makeshift memorials to the victims.[35] By January 12, 2008, a fund for the victims' families surpassed one million dollars.[36]
The Smoking Gun released a copy of Hawkins' three-page suicide note, which included a note to his family, one to his friends, and his last will and testament, below which he signed his name and included his Social Security number.[7] Initial news reports indicated that Hawkins wrote, "I'm going out in style"; however, the phrase does not appear on the publicly released document.[8]
On January 7, 2009, Hawkins' mother Maribel Rodriguez was featured on season 7 episode 77 of Dr. Phil.[37] Hawkins was the subject of the series premiere of the Investigation Discovery series Evil Lives Here, a show that features testimonials of the loved ones of murderers, which premiered on January 17, 2016. It was his father and ex-stepmother's first public interview since the shooting.[38]
Dutch DJ and producer Angerfist sampled an excerpt from a news story about the shooting on his track "The Road to Fame" on the Retaliate album, released in 2011.[39]
Omaha natives and political punk band, Desaparecidos, wrote a song about the shooting, "Von Maur Massacre," on their 2015 album, Payola.[40]
Reactions
The Von Maur corporate headquarters in Davenport, Iowa issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by the horrific shooting at our Omaha store this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event, as well as their families."[41] A similar statement was shown on its web site's home page.[42] Westroads Mall also stated on its web site, "Our thoughts and prayers remain with all affected by this tragedy."[43] Its home page also indicated that the mall would remain closed until the following Saturday, December 8; however, the Von Maur store, where the incident took place, did not open until December 20.[42] The day after the shooting, the Hawkins family released a statement expressing their condolences for the victims.[44] On December 13, 2007, Hawkins' mother, Maribel Rodriguez, issued a formal apology for Hawkins' actions in an interview on Good Morning America.[1][45]
See also
- List of rampage killers in the United States
- 2016 Munich shooting
- Cascade Mall shooting
- St. Cloud, Minnesota mall stabbing
- 2007 Colorado YWAM and New Life shootings
References
- ^ a b c "Mother of Mall Shooter Apologizes". Associated Press. December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Another injured person identified in Von Maur shootings". Omaha World-Herald. December 22, 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- ^ a b "Man opens fire at Omaha mall, killing 8". Yahoo! News. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ a b "Omaha Mall, Scene Of Mass Killing, Reopens". CBS News. December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Omaha's Deadliest Hour: 19-year-old man kills eight and himself at Westroads Mall". Omaha World Herald. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ "Von Maur Shooter's Mother Says She Sensed Something Amiss". KETV. December 13, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ a b "Omaha Gunman Suicide Notes". The Smoking Gun. December 7, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
- ^ a b "Transcription of Hawkins' Suicide Note". Associated Press. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Police describe what they found in gunman's car". The Associated Press. December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Nebraskans Hold Vigils as Shooting Details Emerge". NPR. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ "Mall shooter's suicide note: 'I've just snapped'". CNN. December 7, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
- ^ ""Everyone Will Remember Me as Some Sort of Monster"". Rolling Stone. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Hawkins' likely path".
- ^ "Autopsy Shows Valium Only Drug in Omaha Mall Gunman's System". Fox News. January 1, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ "Chief: Shooter left store, came back with assault rifle". CNN. December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ "Mall Shooting 911". CNN. December 7, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
- ^ a b "Kleine: What's Missing From Hawkins' Autopsy Surprising". KETV. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
- ^ "Profiles of 8 who died in Omaha mall massacre". NBC News. December 5, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Worst Mass Slaying In Nebraska History Claims 9: ABC: Shooter Used Assault Rifle With 2 Magazines". KETV. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ Kansas City Star. December 8, 2007. Archived from the originalon December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Gunman Kills Eight, Then Kills Himself, at Omaha Shopping Mall". Fox News. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ "Police: Another Injured Victim Of Von Maur Shooting". KETV. December 22, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- Sydney Morning Herald. December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "Robert Hawkins: His life a tragic tumble down". Omaha World-Herald. December 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "State official: Shooter placed in mental health facility 5 years ago". CNN. December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
- Dallas Morning News. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ "Nine Dead in Omaha Mall Shooting". MSNBC. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ "Shooter Remembered By Friends, Landlord". KETV. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ "State official: Shooter placed in mental health facility 5 years ago". CNN.
- ^ "HHS says it did its best to treat Hawkins". Omaha World-Herald. December 7, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ "Six deadly minutes: Gunman arrived at Von Maur with a purpose". omaha.com. December 6, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "Friend of mall shooter's ex-girlfriend says she was threatened". KMTV-TV. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
- ^ "Police: Omaha Mall Shooter Stepped Off Elevator, Started Firing". ABC News. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ a b "DHHS Care and Custody Timeline for Robert Hawkins" (PDF). Nebraska State Department of Health and Human Services. December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ "Memorial to Mall Victims Grows". KPTM. December 11, 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
- ^ "Omaha Shooting Victims' Fund Surpasses $1 Million". KMEG. January 12, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
- ^ Ross, Timberly (January 7, 2009). "Mom of mall shooter says she's responsible". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Investigation Discovery Presents Exclusive Accounts of Life with a Killer in Evil Lives Here". Discovery Communications Press Release. December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023.
- ^ "Angerfist - the Road to Fame lyrics".
- ^ "Desaparecidos – Von Maur Massacre". genius.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Gunman opens fire at Omaha mall, kills 8, self". NBC News. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ a b "Von Maur home page". Von Maur. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Westroads Mall home page". Westroads Mall. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Omaha Mall Reopens With Extra Security". Associated Press. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007.
- ^ "Tearful Apology From Omaha Shooter's Mom". CBS News. December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
External links
- Complete coverage from the Omaha World-Herald