Shooting at Omaha shopping mall
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071205/...all_shooting_1

Breaking news on CNN and MSNBC at the moment... gunfire at Westroads Mall in Omaha, NE. They believe possibly 5 people may have been shot, no other info at this time.

An Omaha mall? That really doesn't narrow anything down at all!

Bugeater finally lost it

Westroads

There, it's called Westroads Mall.

Sad.

I hate the mall since working retail at Christmas. I avoid it like the plague. But for people who go to them this is scary stuff as they are notoriously underpoliced.

I'll bet it was that crazy bugeater/go bo guy.

A Frank Solich supporter...

Yea, I'm totally scared of going to the mall.

So far, the radio reports that there has been an apprehension of a person, weather that is the shooter or not they don't know.

The police responded very quickly by all reports so far...

They are saying it's a rifle too...that's amazing that he could just walk into a mall with a friggin' rifle if it's true. They said earlier on the local TV station that the suspect was wearing a camouflage vest...now they are reporting that there were dozens of shots...maybe it was echo effect though.

Shit, they got FBI agents out there already too...

Gunman reportedly tried to take his own life, and was unsuccessful.

Now they are saying that there may be more than one shooter...

...I hate this, because it always starts out this way. Everyone breathlessly trying to get the story first, there are so many different reports...one said that the shooter actually walked into Von Maur and shot a clerk in the head...

That is not possible. I have it on good authority that shopping malls are notoriously under policed.

Scary stuff...

Unreal...talk about a failure...sorry, it's not funny, but damn...

Now they are guestimating 35-40 shots...that's gotta be more than one gun unless the dude had a big magazine...

Thankfully, cops in Omaha are not as busy as other towns I guess...either that or we actually have our shit together...

Or the person that made the original statement is talking out her ass again.

I'm not sure why, but I immediately pictured two people fighting over the last Wii on the shelf when one pulled a gun.

Heh...ya think?

The cops got there within 2 minutes...that's pretty damn good.

There was video of a person apparently being apprehended, but it seems they are still looking for someone.

LMAO, how do you **** that up?

I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Bannister mall in KC a few years back... that was interesting for me.

No idea. Maybe it's not true, hard to tell with this kinda chaos. But there does appear to be a picture of police having someone wearing camo in handcuffs, and other reports that the shooter was found with a self inflicted wound. Maybe they were two different people.

The person who was apprehended apparently was NOT the suspect...the public safety officer stated to a reporter that "he is not who you think he is" but he could not comment further.

Official statement coming shortly.

omaha somewhere in middle america, get right to the heart of matters, it's the heart that matters more, mr i think you have to turn your ticket in

:LOL:

Jeez...9 confirmed dead including the pussy-ass shooter. 14 shot total, including the shooter.

Apparently he was standing at the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor, popping shots off at people below.

This makes me sick. I know, it's never supposed to happen in your own town. But it does.

A witness at the mall said a couple of weeks ago a grenade was left there. :hmmm:

A mile from work.... within a few weeks of moving here, there's been a shooting and road rage/beating with a baseball bat within a couple of miles of my place, and now this :cuss:

I was just in Westroads Mall last night doing some Chirstmas shopping. I have never felt uncomfortable there but I might be a bit more hesitant to go there. I have heard for some time there has been gang related activity in this mall, which by the way is one of the two nicest in the city, but I have never seen anything outside of youths milling around and looking menacing.

ABout 9 years ago another mall got the same rap. At the time it was a gang infested hole. One of the iniatiations at the time was to cut the Achilles tendon of a person. These people were laying under cars and waiting for people to come to their car and then slixing them up. I think only two cases were ever comfirmed. That mall is now a shell of what it once was as most of the white people were scared to go there as it was mostly african americans that "hung out" there.

It really is sad that these types of things are happening across America. I wish that these people had some regard for human life. They are the most reprehensible scum there is. To blow innocent people away, people that you have never met takes a person with no value for anything in their lives.

I hope whoever this person was rots in hell.

I was going to go there, but decided not to.

Easy, he's related to Herm !

Not me...this time...

In all seriousness, this is horrible. Nine families are going to spend the holidays mourning. Apparently it was some 19 yr old loser who just got fired from his job. This mall is also just a few blocks from my wife's place of employment, so it's a bit too close to home.

Gunman Opens Fire at Omaha Mall
AP
Posted: 2007-12-05 18:16:33
Filed Under: Nation News

OMAHA, Neb. (Dec. 5) - A man with a rifle opened fire at a busy department store Wednesday, killing eight people before taking his own life, in an attack that made holiday shoppers run screaming through a mall and barricade themselves in dressing rooms. Five more people were wounded, two critically.

Witnesses said the gunman fired down on shoppers from a third-floor balcony of the Von Maur store.
The gunman was found dead on the third floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his victims were discovered on the second and third floors, police said.

"My knees rocked. I didn't know what to do, so I just ran with everybody else," said Kevin Kleine, 29, who was shopping with her 4-year-old daughter at the Westroads Mall, in a prosperous neighborhood on the city's west side. She said she hid in a dressing room with four other shoppers and an employee.

Keith Fidler, a Von Maur employee, said he heard a burst of five to six shots followed by 15 to 20 more rounds. Fidler said he huddled in the corner of the men's clothing department with about a dozen other employees until police yelled to get out of the store.

Sgt. Teresa Negron said the gunman killed eight people, then apparently killed himself. His name was not immediately released, and authorities gave no motive for the attack and did not know whether he said anything during the rampage.

Police received a 911 call from someone inside the mall, and shots could be heard in the background, Negron said. By the time officers arrived six minutes later, the shooting was over, she said.

A witness, Shawn Vidlak, said he heard four or five rapid shots "like a nail gun." At first he thought it was noise from construction work going on at the mall.

"People started screaming about gunshots," Vidlak said. "I grabbed my wife and kids we got out of there as fast as we could."

Shortly after the shooting, which came three weeks before Christmas, a group of shoppers came out of the building with their hands raised. Some were still holding shopping bags.

President Bush was in town Wednesday for a fundraiser in Omaha, but left about an hour before the shooting.

The sprawling, three-level mall has more than 135 stores and restaurants, according to the Web site for General Growth Properties, the manager of the mall. It gets 14.5 million visitors every year, according to the Web site.

A woman named Kevin?

:spock: Ehh...I guess so.

You know, this is one of those deals where you know the guy is some kind of insane, disturbed bastard. So, there's a part of me that is sad that people are reduced to committing these kinds of acts. And there's another part of me that just wants him to burn in hell forever.

What a ridiculous waste. All those lives ruined.

FAX

Nebraska is one ****ed up place. Thank God I live in safe, peaceful L.A.

I recall a shooting at a Target or K-Mart in KC last year, no?

ward parkway there was a mall shooting

More evidence that the Mid West is filled with thugs and crazies. You couldn't pay me to live there.

No offense to you wonderful people. You all have tremendous courage.

Must be all the toad.

It's the runaway combines I fear.

I figured it was his fault.

You should visit and spend lots of money. Thank you for your patronage.

Yeah, that's what I always hear. If you don't like the messed up, crazy world, retreat to the stable, sensible enclave of southern California.

Two victims are still fighting for their lives in area hospitals, so the death toll could still rise. One of the more ominous things looking at the live shots of the mall is the handful of cars still in the parking lot, and knowing those more than likely belong to the victims. One witness also commented how surreal it was hearing the Christmas music in the store while smelling the gunpowder, and that the shooter actually stopped and took the time to shoot a teddy bear in the store.

The latest on the loser is that he was kicked out of his home over a year ago and had been staying with a friend's family. He has a history of depression and had gotten fired from his job at McDonalds today, then went and stole a semi-automatic rifle from his stepfather's house and headed to the mall. He left a note at the house he was staying at that he "was tired of being a burden" and "was going to be famous". Well you got it dickhead, hopefully there's a special spot in hell for you.

He had a perfectly good target an hour earlier and he had to take out innocents at the mall. [banghead]

Everyone mentioned there's been a lot of construction at the mall, so it wasn't just 'what was that?', but the thought that they were just working upstairs.

They interviewed a friend of the shooter, and of course all of the answers to the life questions were 'I dunno'... he said that he was in class, and someone called him. He went to the bathroom and got the news that his friend had killed himself in the mall. He told the reporter 'I was really down about it for a little while, but then realized that life goes on'.

...an incredibly creepy mix of lack of respect for his own friend's life much less random innocent people, and the realization that it's probably just as much about the world kids grow up in (not to blame society, but come on...) than being completely messed up.

That's actually very sad that depression can do that to a person.

Grand Theft Auto is da debil

It must take a special person to get fired from McDonalds.

Hell I would think that would be a good thing.

I'm sure this is in jest, but I meant more like 9-11, all of the other school shootings.... you know, real life. I'm nothing close to 'what about the children?!?'

Children are the debil too

You are a dick head. You are not funny. Please shut the hell up.
:shake:

My Aunt works on the 3rd floor of Von Maur. She was just getting back from break and 20 feet away from the guy when he started shooting. Then she said someone pulled her into a dressing room and they hid in there. Crazy. Thank God she's OK.

Wow, too close for comfort. Glad to hear your Aunt is OK.

A woman my wife works with was in the store, and the only reason she was not on the third floor was because she decided to get a watch battery before going upstairs to get her shoes...

ufda, thats too dam close for comfort.

A watch battery before shoes? A woman???? Unheard of.

Of course, in this case her momentary lapse of sanity saved her life. :clap:

Yes, thank God. That is one 'too close for comfort' story.

Just heard on the radio that the worthless sacks of monkey shit from Westborough Baptist Church will be visiting Westroads Mall tomorrow, apparently God hates Omaha now. They're also planning on showing up at all of the victims' funerals. Sick ****ing bastards.

I wish the next random head-case that decides they want to off a bunch of innocent people before ending their own life decides to pay a visit to a certain church in Topeka instead of their local school, shopping mall, or whatever.

What's their point, Mr. GoBo? Is it an anti-Christmas deal?

FAX

It sounds like they are basically celebrating this event. Apparently there is more information on their website but I refuse to go there to find out.

These jackasses will celebrate anyones death but there own. They need more opportunities to remedy that.

The faces, names and stories of the victims:


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...607sqflynn.jpg
Beverly Flynn, age 47, of Omaha, was a real estate agent at NP Dodge whose trademark was planting a rosebush in the yard of every new homeowner. The mother of three worked part time wrapping gifts at Von Maur during the holiday season. Her shift was nearly over.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...djorgensen.jpg
Janet Jorgensen, age 67, of Omaha, was a saleswoman on the third floor of Von Maur, the gifts department, where she sold crystal and other fine items. Jorgensen would even sometimes deliver items to customers' homes. She was noted as a fine seamstress and cake baker.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...20507sqjoy.jpg
Gary Joy, age 56, of Omaha, worked in housekeeping at Von Maur. He was described as a sweet man who wrote poetry and stories. He graduated from Bellevue University with a degree in literature, which was his passion. Joy donated his organs.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...qmcdonald2.jpg
John McDonald, age 65, of Council Bluffs, was shopping with his wife, Kathy. He retired in 2000 from Northern Natural Gas in Omaha, where he worked for 27 years and was recalled as a "wonderfully kind man." The Creighton University graduate was an avid runner and bicyclist.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...07sqscharf.jpg
Gary Scharf, age 48, of Lincoln, worked for LG Life Sciences and traveled all over the country for work. He was shopping for Christmas presents during some free time between flights. Scharf, who grew up on a farm outside Curtis, Neb., and retained his rural Nebraska sturdiness, had a son, a stepson and two stepdaughters.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...qschuster2.jpg
Angie Schuster, age 36, of Omaha, was a manager in the girls department at Von Maur. She had just moved in with her boyfriend, Greg O'Neil, who planned to give her an engagement ring at Christmastime. The Dubuque, Iowa, native and University of Northern Iowa graduate loved showering her nieces and nephew with gifts.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...607sqtrent.jpg
Dianne Trent, age 53, of Omaha, a former flight attendant, had worked in Von Maur's customer service department for eight years. She returned to Omaha eight years ago after her husband, Pete, died. She loved to travel and shop, and she lived for a time in Bogota, Colombia. She graduated from Omaha Benson High School.


http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/phot...607sqwebb2.jpg
Maggie Webb, age 24, of Omaha, was a recent transfer to the Omaha Von Maur store. She had been promoted to store manager. The Illinois State University grad was known by co-workers as an energetic and friendly boss who wasn't above helping unload a truck dressed in her business suit. She would have celebrated her 25th birthday in two weeks.

As best as Bob Dole can determine through the increasingly unreadable crap they publish:

The residents of Omaha told the shooter that it was okay to be gay, therefore they deserved to die at his hand.

heh the guy wanted to be famous but he with all the random shootings he won't be well remembered.

Not to mention the difference between famous and notorious...

...but this guys name will be forgotten long before the victims will be.

The Westboro freaks...what the hell is wrong with these people?

They were in Seattle last week when I was there with their little signs on some kind of a rant. When I came out after my meal, I drove by them on the way to the airport and gave them the one finger hello.

mall must of been full of teh gheys



maybe if they would of prayed more they would still be alive.

Well, okay then.

Seriously, these people are so full of hate and anger, it's a fair bet that Satan has ensconced himself in their brains like that worm thing from outer space that attaches itself to your spinal cord and lives off your life energy and the only way you can get rid of it is to beat yourself over the head with a piece of lumber or rip your ears off and even then it will just leave your spinal cord and attach itself to the guy next to you. I hate those things.

FAX

God Hates the World. The faithful at 'the church' have made a music video to remind us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_yxionctY

So you were trying to start trouble huh?

That is one f***ed up group of people. I would like to see the mourners at one of these funerals turn on them. I think if it happened a few times they might lose their zeal for zealotry.

Just showing them the love Skip.

o:-)

Amen to that.

Then maybe someone could picket their funerals and piss on the fresh graves of their loved ones.