(TheBlaze/AP) — A suburban Portland mall remains closed Wednesday as crime scene experts detail the shooting that left three people dead and one wounded yesterday, sending thousands of people running.
The shooter, dressed in camouflage and a mask, was a man in his 20s who apparently fired at random before taking his own life, Clackamas County sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Phillips said.
“It really was a killing of total strangers, to my knowledge at this point and time. He was really trying to kill as many people as possible,” Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in a somber tone.
Police are remaining tight-lipped about the identity of the shooter, who was said to be dressed in a hockey mask and a bullet proof vest. Several witnesses said he proclaimed, “I am the shooter!” while open firing.
We’ve compiled seven of the most chilling pictures and video to come out of the Portland mall, less than two weeks before Christmas:
A Tactical Team Moves Through the Oregon Mall Parking Lot:
A tactical team moves through the mall parking lot at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Ore. , Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. (Photo: AP)
The Bedding Section is Locked Down by Authorities:
Law enforcement personnel work the scene of a shooting at the Clackamas Town Center in Clackamas, Ore. Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. (Photo: AP)
Family and Friends Look On With Terror:
People look on outside Clackamas Town Center in Clackamas, Ore. , where a shooting occured Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. (Photo: AP)
A Family Holds Their Child After Escaping:
A couple with a child embrace after they were released from the mall at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Ore. , Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. (Photo: AP)
Santa Claus Discusses a Young Man’s Holiday Shooting Spree:
(Photo via CBS News)
Clackamas Town Center is one of the Portland area’s biggest and busiest malls, with 185 stores and a 20-screen movie theater.
CBS News has footage from both inside and outside the building yesterday (start at about 45 seconds to skip the introduction). The clip includes chilling audio from the dispatch to law enforcement:
And KTLA Los Angeles has more:
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Comments (75)
nocakeforme12
Dec. 12, 2012 at 5:56pmOn August 1 1966 Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the clock tower at the University in Austin Texas and began shooting for ninety minutes before being shot dead by police. 18 people were killed in the melee but authorities said that the death toll would have been much higher if it hadn’t been for the many private Texas citizens who grabbed their rifles from their pickup trucks and began firing back at Whitman. The authorities stated that the Texas citizens were putting up so much fire on the clock tower that Whitman was forced to keep his head down and prevented him from killing far more people.
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GroverCleveland
Dec. 12, 2012 at 7:06pmVery little of this is true. Not including Whitman, 14 people died at the scene (including one unborn child), two more died of their injuries later, and before starting his spree, Whitman had murdered his wife and his mother. No civilians fired on Whitman. One civilian was given a handgun by an agent at the scene and that civilian (a Mr Crumm) covered that officer as they made their way up the tower toward Whitman. The civilian never fired a shot. This was at UT Austin in the sixties. It was not the courthouse of some dinky farm town. These were students and professors. They were not armed. They did not “grab their rifles from their pickup trucks.” Whitman had the high ground. He had a panoramic view of the campus–one of his victims was killed at 500 yards. No ad hoc squad of good ol’ boys would have been able to stop Whitman; they merely would have made targets of themselves. Far from saving the day, such “heroism” would have increased the death toll. Do you just make this stuff up?
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JohnnyPatriot1
Dec. 13, 2012 at 9:35am@Grover. ….No he’s not making this up. Perhaps you should actually research it yourself rather than assume you know best. Look it up. The police credited civilians with the takedown. A number started showing up with rifles and though there is no mention of whether they came from truck windows is true or not it is a great possiblity. I’m from Oklahoma; even as recent as ten years ago highschool students still had mounts AND rifles in their trucks on campus. But with Whitmans rampage they even ran a report of a man with his own M1 that kept fire on him for a while; driving whitman to use the towers ran spouts to shout out of while the police made there way in (and limiting his vision and range). And yes there was also a plane with a police rifleman on board trying to buy a shot. He couldn’t manage anything due to turbulence and the plane was hit by Whitman but it did happen.
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GroverCleveland
Dec. 13, 2012 at 10:54amNo, JOHNYPATRIOT, it didn’t. It’s an urban legend. I did, however, make a mistake in my last post. The civilian Crum did fire off a few rounds during the siege. He didn’t hit anybody, but he did fire at Whitman. Likewise the first cop to confront Whitman fired several shots and missed. Whitman was finally killed by a cop with a shotgun. I have researched this, and let me tell you something about research: police reports, newspaper accounts, coroner’s reports–these are available (often online) to just about anybody interested in any particular event in recent history. One needs a little experience, perserverence and education to judge what is reliable and what is not. But the information is not hidden and in this case it is not disputed. The urban myth that claims Whitman was kept at bay by suppressive fire from private citizens who grabbed rifles from their trucks is simply false. And you know what? The lie is an insult to the victims who lived through this nightmare. Whitman had free reign for ninety minutes. He picked off people at will. No brave Texans challenged him with their hunting rifles. The brave souls who distinguished themselves that day did so by rushing out into the open to try and drag other wounded victims to safety. In some cases this heroism led to their deaths.
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JohnnyPatriot1
Dec. 13, 2012 at 12:19pm@ Grover. If what you say is true and you have done all this research then tell us why Officer Ramiro Martinez later stated that “civilian shooters should also be credited for their actions as the return fire Whitman encountered made it difficult for him to take careful aim at those whom he fired upon.”
Trying to correct a stranger is one thing. Insulting them and showing such disrespect in the process is another. NOCAKE was simply making a statement. Nothing that should warrant the type of response begot by you. And furthermore, the greatest dissrespect for those who died that day (all of which we do respect and pray for) is to try and use them as a shield for your argument.
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GroverCleveland
Dec. 13, 2012 at 2:30pmI merely asked a question. The fact is, a lot of the “history” one finds in these posts is either made up by the posters themselves or lifted from other sources that, to say the least, have no regard for accuracy. And that is important for this reason: NOCAKE was trying to make the point that armed civilians can have a positive impact when crimes like this are perpetrated. A myth like the one surrounding the 1966 tower massacre helps lend credence to that idea. But of course if it isn’t true, then the argument fails. The fact is, well-armed individuals who go nuts and decide to start killing people can do an enormous amount of damage in a short amount of time, and tragedies like the Whitman siege, Columbine, Aurora, etc., are examples of that fact. But when people start using these tragedies to advocate for an armed populace, ready at a moment’s notice to enter into firefights with these kinds of nuts, they make such arguments without regard to the facts, or the realities at hand. A disorganized band of civilians armed with various kinds of weapons, ill-informed as to the nature of the threat, and not under the discipline of any command structure constitutes a greater threat than a help. It’s bad enough when one insane idiot starts shooting, and people have to grab their children and run for cover. It would be incalculably worse if in addition to having to deal with a single madman, victims and law officers also had to contend with whole groups of people under
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GroverCleveland
Dec. 13, 2012 at 3:02pmarms. If bystanders become involved in these kinds of incidents, the lists of casualties can only grow larger. Remember: one does not need firearm expertise to own a firearm. And one certainly doesn’t need training as a first responder to own a gun. So to have all these civilians popping off rounds, some taking aim at the murderer, some taking aim at your grandma, would only complicate and make these kinds of scenes of mayhem much worse. Think of it this way: suppose you’re at the mall, and you’re strapped. You hear small arms fire, so you draw your weapon and began to move toward the action, to “save lives.” But you forgot, you’re already wearing camo pants and a black Ted Nugent t-shirt. So to anybody else–a bystander, a cop, or another civilian “hero”–you now look like the perpetrator. You’re armed, and dressed like a nut. Tell me that’s not a recipe for disaster. Note to vigilantes: do us all a favor, if you see a situation unfolding, dive for cover with the rest of us, and don’t risk our lives further by becoming “the second gunman.”
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Joevatch
Jan. 14, 2013 at 1:04amI have to agree with johnnypatroit, leave nocake alone! We need more people like johnnyp out there to stick up for people like groverc….! This is just a post for people to make comments about the story & we are not here to be schooled! Its not like nocake hurt anyone or distroyed the facts! He did not disgrace the families either! I know who people like you are mr. Groverc & i get sick of seeing this type of trash in blogs when more productive space could be used for interesting & helpful comments! You were very rude about it! There are plenty of other ways to approach these issues. Besides, come on, (groverc) quite being so critical! The over all story that nocake commented on was close enough to the general facts anyways, the important points still added up. Listen groverc, all mr. Nocake was doing was making a point based on his knowledge & not to debate or be treated rude! U could have politely stated the facts that u knew, because maybe u r wrong anyways? I don’t care how exact he was, he was making a point, not wanting someone to school him. Grow up! I bet u r like this around everyone & everywhere u go. You r stereotypical of a know it all. So learn from this & use your time (groverc..) to do something productive! Help someone in real need & not to add insult to an injury! (this story is sad enough)… Why not use your super powers for good & use this time u wasted here to write a prayer to the families? … So, you go johnnypatroit! U r the patriot!
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moreteaplease
Dec. 12, 2012 at 4:59pmTickdog
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:14pm
another reason to carry….
Report Post » Tickdog Reply
Keatonc33
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:28pm
we need more guns! because too many people have guns!
—————————————————–
Too many of the WRONG people have guns. You won’t find law abiding citizens who carry for self defense doing something like this.
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Tickdog
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:14pmanother reason to carry….
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 4:28pmwe need more guns! because too many people have guns!
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Capt_Gregg
Dec. 12, 2012 at 5:20pmNot to make light of the situation, but to use what has been described as an AR15 in a mall containing thousands of people and only hit three tells me this was not the act of someone familiar with firearms. I expect we’ll find that he obtained the rifle illegally, and that if he owned other firearms (which I doubt), they were also obtained illegally.
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BlasberryStrat
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:54pmIt was a member of the “Choom Gang”. The guy never once paid for drugs, so owed the favor to support Oby’s gun BAN agenda.
I heard an update on the radio this morning. “Although witnesses could not identify the shooter, the gun used seems to be a semi-automatic AR-15 platform”. NOW – I realize the investigators can tell the caliber by the slug and cartrige, but GET REAL. People are injured and dead, but by god the media is GOING TO MAKE DAMM SURE you KNOW it was a semi-auto “tactical” weapon. Who cares about the people – get on the air and shove the agenda in the NRA’s face! I couldn’t believe how the news person made it sound like “the people in the Mall” quickly identified it was a “Rambo weapon”.
I’m sorry for the people. But the bottom line is that it is WAY TOO CONVENIENT TIMING for this amount of gun assult / murder stories to be cropping up. I can’t help but feel that if we were under a different Admin., the Left would be out of their minds yelling this is a set up. Yet most are still wanting us to hand over our guns and BELIEVE that this will end ALL crimes and shootings. These shootings aren’t because of being a “new trend”. It’s being done by nut cases pushing for a Socialist Country. They actually believe that they are “sacrificing” themselves for the greater good, to accelerate the complete BAN of all guns in America!
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:14pmdo you honestly believe a word you just said? and let me play devils advocate. of all the mass shooting this year. how many do you suppose would still be alive if it were not for guns?
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timltbird
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:23pmYou know what I find odd? During the press conference, the Sheriff deputy could identify the type of vest he was wearing…but they didn’t have any info on the magazine types? Really? You could tell the press he was wearing a “ballistic-load-bearing vest”…but not what type of mag he had? This stinks to high-heaven.
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wojo14
Dec. 12, 2012 at 4:57pmKeaton, of the 44,000 vehicle-related deaths that happen each year, how many do you think would occur if not for the ease of which one can procure a car? Down with Henry Ford! He’s the biggest mass murderer in history! On a related note, of the roughly 30,000 gun-related deaths each year, 18k are suicides. So yes, it is politics. The MSM and Pols care nothing about how many lives get in the way of making their point.
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:30pmThe shooter has been identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/11/oregon-mall-shooting/1762473/
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francisco
Dec. 12, 2012 at 4:43pmHey Keaton you know what’s chilling to me. It was another shooting in a gun free zone, go figure; I believe there has been an increase in public shootings. Done by nutjobs with a few screws loose, I am sure they do it because of grand visions of getting away with it or atleast taking as many out as possible. The greatest deterrent to this would be the next time a Lochner or mall shooting starts to begin would be for some brave soul to pull out his CCW and put two in his head. That way the next time one of these nutjobs think of doing this maybe they’ll think twice, everyone of these public shooters are cowards with ideas of self-grandeur. Only a coward would shoot himself before the other team showed up.
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Beck_Art_Obama_In_PeePee
Dec. 12, 2012 at 7:41pmfrancisco – “Also will somebody please tell me why my links are not working properly”
http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html#SECTION_G008
This one is working okay.
If you mean multiple links, TheBlaze allows only 2 links per post without holding them for review (?) or just dumping them. (Just think of TheBlaze as a little “big brother” — find ways to work around those little tyrants.)
:D
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francisco
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:28pmThanks Beck_art I had a link that didn’t post right and I think it might have even been taken down. I’m new to the comment board ( seen to many liberal jack## spouting off) and still trying to nail it down.
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timltbird
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:22pmYou know what I find “chilling”? The amount of Army-style hardware the police used. Also, how they were making women and children hold their hands up while exiting the building. When it was clear they had a description of the shooter.
Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:29pmbetter safe than sorry. who knows he could have had an accomplice.
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timltbird
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:15pmSomething extremely fishy here. Sheriff pats everyone on the back for doing an “outstanding job…for doing what? Deploying all their armored “toys” and “para-military” police force? He was also on NBC stating “Police agencies were able to ‘basically hunt down, find this guy’ in record time, Sheriff Craig Roberts told NBC station KGW.” Really!? They didn’t stop the shooter, nor did they stop anyone from being killed. Then they treated everyone else as “suspects”. So like TSA, law enforcement agencies can’t distinguish children from deranged madmen, who was described as wearing camouflage garb? Now here’s the really mind-numbing conundrum, Jacob died from a “self-inflicted” gunshot….now that’s odd. If the gun jammed how did he off himself? Just saying.
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JACKTHETOAD
Dec. 12, 2012 at 6:22pmDry run.
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supermansdad
Dec. 12, 2012 at 7:20pmThis is where the anti-police who complain about “para-military” tactics of police have no clue about history. EVERY police force in this nation has been patterned after the military from the founding of our nation. What every firearms, uniforms, TT&P, etc. has ALWAYS been patterned after the military. Most early police uniforms and weapons WERE old and even current military issue. Just add the badge.
Yet the cop haters don’t seem to understand that. I guess you want them to only carry a six shooter, no vest, radio, OC, baton or any other gear that the military has issued either?
Heres a clue, police agencies, families and their communities got tired of thugs, anarchists and out right criminals being better armed than the cops.
If, as your avatar suggests, you have ANY military time under your belt you would know you don’t go into a known fight underarmed. You would also know every body is considered a possible suspect until verified otherwise. Get some basic LE training and education and stop being a shill for the anarchists.
This is the problem with Libertarianism, AKA: Neo-Anarchism.
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GroverCleveland
Dec. 12, 2012 at 9:09pmNo, SUPERMANSDAD. There were no police agencies in the U.S. until the nineteenth century, not as we know them today. And as they developed and grew, they were emphatically NOT military in their character, or in their arms. Americans, from the colonial period onward, were vehemently opposed to any organized, uniformed, armed symbol of authority. The first cops were little more than night-watchmen, generally unarmed. The whistle was, for a long time, a policeman’s most important tool. It warned the community that a fire, a burglary or some natural hazard was afoot. Cops began to be despised as soon as they started distinguishing themselves by wearing badges (little copper buttons–thus the term “cop” or “copper”). For decades volunteer fire organizations were much more powerful than local police agencies. People turned to them more readily in a crisis, and feared them more than they feared any lawman. For many years these volunteer firemen provided the only social services in most communities, and did most of the enforcing and protecting. To say that police agencies have always been organized and armed along military lines is to ignore half our nation’s history vis. public safety and law enforcement.
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supermansdad
Dec. 12, 2012 at 10:02pmMuch of what you say is true, but much is political dribble from the idiot side of Neo Anarchism. Once police agencies began forming more than the mere posses dolling out vigillante justice and became a uniformed operation the uniforms were very similiar and yes, many time old military uniforms. Yes, the whistle and thug-beating stick were originally all they had. Once again, they were being killed and that stopped quickly.
Personally I long for the days when police were little more than nightwatchman, fire guards if you will. I long for a time when homes had no locks. Theres a problem there Skippy. Go serve a search warrant to your neighborhood meth cook, see how he answers the door with your whistle hanging from your chain and club tucked neatly into your belt. Go learn a little about actually being a cop rather than the mere history of law and order.
Better yet, go become a cop, change they aspects of your communities policing you find offensive. Otherwise learn what actually happens in the real world rather than mere theory. Theoretical Constitutional Law is much different where the shoe leather meets the asphalt.
By the way, those VFD’s you spoke so highly of, they usually extorted money to put out the fire they set. Such pillars of the community…….
I do fear the government, thats why I have always worked for them: to know and understand how that threat is going to be applied.
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timltbird
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:19pmYou wanna know what I find utterly scary? The amount of hardware, i.e., armored vehicles, “Army” style weapons and outfitted police, that was brought out to combat this! The other disturbing vision was the police making people hold their hands up, women and children, when they had a clear description of the shooter. Conditioning the drones?
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Robert999
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:04pmThe shooter was described as short and with dark hair. Sounds to me like he’s probably a Muslim or Hispanic.
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vox_populi
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:16pmYeah, that’s not groundless speculation at all.
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FlamingFartSyndrome
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:21pmShort with dark hair and you assume hes muslim?
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:23pmwow.. just wow… or one of the millions and millions of white people who fit that exact description.
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:23pmwhens the last time you heard of a Muslim or hispanic going on a public shooting spree? its always white people!
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:31pmThe shooters has been identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts…. you Idiot http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/11/oregon-mall-shooting/1762473/
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integrican
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:52pmShooter: 22 year old Jason Tyler Roberts.
Appears (too me) to be of Pacific Islander. Not that means anything (just a hobby of mine, guessing heritage by facial features), Judging by his name, he had an anglo father with an English name. Or, he was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Roberts.
Probably just a young American Obama-bot that wasn’t getting free stuff from his parents or the government. (young male with two ears pierced and living in WA State) (c;
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Robert999
Dec. 12, 2012 at 8:02pmHe’s not white even if his name is Roberts.
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Think_4_yourself
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:59pmThis will be spun into a ban on ANY semi automatic weapons, there will be a full court press to ban guns now. Ammo prices have already skyrocketed, wait until the gubment taxes every box by 100% of the value under the promise that the money will be used for gun safety courses.
It’s very sad for those affected by this nut job.
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vox_populi
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:18pm“This will be spun into a ban on ANY semi automatic weapons, there will be a full court press to ban guns now.”
There was no serious effort by the government after the last dozen or so shootings, why start now?
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Think_4_yourself
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:28pm@Vox…the reason now is becuase Obama does not have to worry about it affecting his next election. The next 4 years will complete his transformation of America. Until he can apoint himself ruler indefinatley. Go ahead and get in line to turn in your weapons comrade, see ya in camps!
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dont_drive_slow_in_the_left_lane_obliviot
Dec. 12, 2012 at 5:55pmvox doesn’t own any because he wants the ushering in of the USSA and doesn’t want opposition. the also believes he will never be victim of a crime or oppressed.
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thegreatcarnac
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:46pmI am getting really suspicious about the identity of this gunman. Why hasn’t he been identfied openly. You and I know they know who he is by now but they are being tightlipped. If that gunman had been your are I our faces would already be on TV and the news would be interviewing our 1st grade teachers asking if they thought we were crazy back when.
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:28pmhmm.. police also haven’t released the names of the two who died.. what are they hiding?! By the way I love your complete disregard for the investigation process.
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:33pmHe was identified. His name is Jacob tyler Roberts. does that sound like a you or me kind of name?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/11/oregon-mall-shooting/1762473/
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JBeech
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:21pmFunny, these shootings get all the media attention solely because they are the exception and not the rule. I don’t see media coverage when people use a gun to defend their live, the lives of their family, or the lives of their friends.
Kassandra Perkins being murdered by a thug football player? National news. Kia Yvette Jeffries shoots and kills her boxing champion husband while he’s beating her? Not a peep in the media at all.
Why? Because it doesn’t fit the mainstream media narrative of guns = bad and people = too stupid to use guns. Each and every day numerous people use guns to save themselves or others. I get the feeling it’s more important to sensationalize criminals than it is to even acknowledge the heroes that live among us.
Luckily Easy Bake Gun Club started doing a monthly Defensive Gun Use report that just came out yesterday. I have a feeling the liberals won’t like this but it’s still must read information for people who care:
http://www.easybakegunclub.com/blog/1902/November-2012-Defensive-Gun-Use-Report.html
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 2:26pmthe exception? I would hardly call shooting that happen on a pretty much daily basis an exception. fact of the matter is there are far more stories about guns being used for bad rather than good because its far more common that guns are used for murder rather than protection.
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JBeech
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:00pmTake out the murders where criminals kill each other and i’m willing to say that just isn’t true.
You see, I don’t think criminals killing each other is part of a gun violence problem – it’s just part of a crime problem and, bluntly, not necessarily bad for there to be fewer criminals on the street.
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integrican
Dec. 12, 2012 at 3:01pmSorry Keaton, guns used for protection and to stop crimes far outweigh guns used for violence. You wouldn’t know this because they don’t cover it on MSNBC. LOL
http://www.akdart.com/gun3.html
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Keatonc33
Dec. 12, 2012 at 4:33pmcouple things Integrican. the numbers in your post are a guess based off of 5 thousand news articles the guy read over an 8 year period. and is completely void of the numbers of armed robberies, murders, assaults, etc etc.
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Bodacious_Boedi
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:21pmPersonally, I see a “no gun” sign I ignore it. Firstly, I eyeball it to see if it matches up with state regulations for a warning sign: 11 x 14″ with 1″ tall font. The first offense is handled with a verbal request to leave the premises with your weapon. I’ll take that “chewing out” before I’ll lay on a stainless steel slab.
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MOVONLABE HMCS
Dec. 12, 2012 at 1:36pmJudged by 12 versus caried by 6. I carry 24/7/365. I live in Oregon near where this happened.
I am not going to be i a position of helplessness, will defend my family and myself and anyone who is threatened.
I wonder if there was an CCW in the area when this happened??
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Josiah13
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:20pmAs socialism and communism rise…so too do senseless killings and suicides. Buckle up. We will see the blame placed on the weapons instead of the intitutions that created the shooters in Liberal bastions like Colorado and Oregon and in liberal Universities around the country.
People are overwhelmed and depressed. They have no salvation to turn to in this world or the next. Without God we could all go bezerk…that is the point and always has been. We need a leader with the balls to say it. Get your butts to church. Go talk to your grandparents before they’re dead! Learn what made them successful. It wasn’t gun laws and environmental safety. It was faith in God and love for their fellow man. It created the greatest civilization in History.
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OhioRifleman
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:40pmBe extremely wary in thinking that lacking god = going berserk. There are a lot of people around you who are atheist / agnostic that do not or have no inclination to go berserk. Assuming that being without religion means the subject has no moral compass is very likely not true.
When you generalize a whole group as bad / dangerous because they lack faith, you rapidly head toward fascist territory under a different pretense than the last fascist that did so.
A Christian theocracy has just as much propensity to be malicious as would a fascist or marxist state…or, in theory, just as much propensity as our country under present leadership. Always be wary of your own failings and biases, past and present, and analyze everything. Generalizing creates bias, which is its own failing.
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RAWDOG1021
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:17pm“Gun Free” zones don’t work, period! GF zones only serve to protect the crapbag criminals from the good, law abiding persons who would defend themselves and others. Don’t depend on others to defend you! Police are a REACTIONARY group, they will only be there AFTER the crime has occurred. Be PROACTIVE, arm yourselves, pay attention. Choose NOT to be a VICTIM as much as possible!!
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Big Media Bias
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:09pmTheBlaze and it’s SENSATIONALIZED headlines. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn. Stupid.
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FaithfulFriend
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:09pmThou shalt not murder was written in stone long ago by the Spirit of GOD and for all eternity is true. The method of a murderer does not matter.
May His same eternal Spirit be upon this entire community.
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LDSMom128
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:55amI am a born and raised Oregonian, and the Clackamas Town Center has been the mall that I’ve been shopping at all my life. It is sad to think of a place that we go on pretty regular basis could be the scene of such horror. I just took my kids there last weekend to visit Santa and to see a movie.Yet, I know that God was watching out for many others. I have many friends and family comment on FB saying how they almost were going to go there, or were there earlier in the day and left before the madness occurred. I even know several that were there while the mall was in lockdown and said they were there and were brought to safety thanks to the store workers that were there. It is actually amazing to me the hear that over 60 rounds were shot off, and yet the amount of those that lost their lives, or were wounded was actually far less.
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normbal
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:47amAnother false flag operation by the CIA? Justice dept (ATF)?
The administration needs more incidents like this and the theater shooting in Colorado to push their gun-control agenda.
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Walkabout
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:11pmI have not seen where a shooter has said someone set him up to do it. After several of these then one of them would have spilled the beans. Or maybe the psychologists are just brushing it off or not talking.
Let’s put it this way unless we have some proof, bringing it up all the time will do what for us?
Certainly, Fast & Furious was a false flag operation. Unlike the Bush administration with Operation Wide Receiver, there were no tracking devices in the guns. Certainly if the BATF officials & Obama administration officials were going to copy “Wide Receiver” they would have used tracking devices or something better. It leads me to believe they had no intention of catching gun runners. So if the point is not to catch the criminals then it was to produce mayhem.
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How do spot a false flag operation & present enough proof to present to the public at large? If we don’t they will say tin hat?
I am waiting on the name, ethnicity & religion ion the shooter. After that I will be looking for his previous criminal record, upbringing & information on his formative years.
Certainly there are enough mundane shooters & mundane reason for their rampages from Islam (Utah mall) to dysfunctional families & lives (Omaha). Saying in medicine is to look for horses before you look for zebras. Doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t but be watchful.
I do not think the CIA would be involved. Nor do I think that the ATF is smart enough to brainwash anybody. Their upper management
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Bullitt2008
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:47amThis is devastating for the families of the victims. They need to be remembered in our prayers.
Had this mall clearly posted “Gun Free Zone” signs, this would have NEVER happened. It would have forced this shooter to turn around and go home.
So sad I have to carry my Glock almost all the time now when I go somewhere. But then again, I live in So Cal. Can’t wait to get out after my wife retires.
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RedHedMan
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:27amMy thought is that it is something against capitalism. Maybe he’s a tree hugger and hates people running around spending a bunch of money and messing up the Earth. Whatever the story, it will be an attack against guns, and not the irresponsible owner of the gun.
I truely hate this type of attack because it makes it harder and harder for us law-abiding citizens to keep our weapons and continue to use them with disgression. I carry (concealed) all the time and have never had to pull it. I’ve seen a lot of little stuff go on, but nothing that warrants using deadly force.
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jessix
Dec. 12, 2012 at 12:36pmI don’t think these stories help the anti-gunners. Lunatics and criminals will always find a way to get a gun if that is their weapon of choice. Without a gun these shooters might use gasoline and start fires which end up killing more than they could kill with a rifle.
If the news is correct., this latest shooter used a rifle, not a handgun. Banning all firearms including rifles is almost impossible to do. Most likely will be the banning of all “banana clips”. If there were really up to 80 shots fired, that’s likely what this shooter used, but how could he have only killed two and wounded another with 80 shots?
Someoone must have misheard “Santa” who claimed there were EIGHTEEN (18) shots, NOT 80! It’s too bad this one killed himself. I would have liked to lock him up with the Batman killer, made them share a room, and taped all their conversations.
With racial conflicts escalated by president Obama and Eric Holder, Americans are flocking to gun shops and shooting ranges to guarantee themselves protection against blacks behaving badly. I don’t see how any anti-gun law could be put into effect under this climate of racial tension. With the “New Black Panthers” threatening to kill whites if an innocent Zimmerman is given a fair trial, folks in FL are armed and waiting for the first “attacks.”
This is the reason for the spike in gun sales and interest of “MIDDLE CLASS” Americans who are learning how to shoot and defend themselves for the first
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uptickusa
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:23amCan’t carry a cop =carry a gun
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thetruthlives
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:40amcorrect…..
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cessna152
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:18amVery sad…yet even more sad will be the progressives that come out saying we need stricter gun laws, bans against innocent citizens and more “gun free” zones. I’m starting to wonder if these anti-gun groups find, fund and send these people out. It would not surprise me as they are anti-America, anti-Christ and anti-life!
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stopprintn
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:37amNo, I think it’s more of a self importace thing. Godless values!
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Owt_Raged
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:41amThis mall is a gun free zone. It only restricted law abiding people from protecting themselves and their loved ones. Their rules did nothing to stop the criminal.
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AmericanStrega
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:17amI cannot help but wonder if all of the recent gun related, and media splashed, killings are part of a government agenda to bring gun bans to the forefront. I’m not a conspiracy nut. I don’t encase my head and home in tinfoil. It just seems to me these types of crimes are happening more and more often. Maybe it’s just some people now-days have lost their way due to violent video games, the lack of face to face social interactions due to technology, or the lack of understanding consequences. Not sure what the cause is, but I’m sure the government, special interest groups, and the media will be screaming for more gun control.
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COFemale
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:46amWe are removing God from our lives. When you remove a guiding light with morals you make your own codes and we all know man is flawed. Democrats take all accountability out of peoples lives and they continually enable people to escape consequences for their actions. Democrats are a joke. The are the moral decay of society.
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rjtaurus605
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:15amIs it me, or does it seem wonderful that he only killed 2 people with 60 shots fired? either he is the worlds worst shot or he did not want to kill everyone he saw. I think there is more to this. He was a very disturbed person.
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dnewton
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:44amI am suspicious of the time that is going by without identifying the shooter. Maybe he had no ID on him. Maybe he had no criminal record. That would suggest early onset mental illness. Why did he not clear the jam and keep shooting? No training? You need to check those clips out before you actually depend on them. One story was that he told everyone to “get down.” This is an unusual or sporting tactic for a random shooter. It really seems that there should have been more injuries from the volume of fire that was alleged. Right after 911, a kid took a plane from the airport and flew it into a bank building in Tampa. It took weeks to find out that his father was a Muslim. It looked a lot like a copycat crime of 911. I suspect that there are some politically incorrect aspects of the crime that might offend a protected group. Maybe this is the latest fad in suicide? The Hemlock Society forgot to cover this method.
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Uechi
Dec. 12, 2012 at 11:13amThe shooter killed himself not police. Just one more example of why people need to be aware of their surroundings and be legally armed. No matter how good the police are at their jobs they are still minutes aways when seconds count. I pray for the families of the people killed by this madman.
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