Omaha Mall Massacre

Police Say 20-Year-Old Gunman Killed 8 People, Wounded 5 Others, Before Killing Himself

(CBS/AP)  Among the eight people shot to death by the gunman, five are reported to be female, and three male.

KMTV reports the dead include both shoppers and store employees.

"Everybody was scared, and we didn't know what was going on," said Belene Esaw-Kagbara, 31, a Von Maur employee. "We didn't know what to do. I was praying that God protect us."

Mickey Vickory, who worked at Von Maur's third-floor service department, said she heard shots at about 1:50 p.m.

She and her co-workers and customers went into a back closet behind the wrapping room to hide, then emerged about a half-hour later when police shouted to come out with their hands up. As police took them to another part of the mall for safety, they saw the victims.

"We saw the bodies and we saw the blood," she said.

Keith Fidler, another 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.

Witness Shawn Vidlak said the shots sounded like a nail gun. At first he thought it was noise from construction work 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, a group of shoppers came out of the building with their hands raised.

Police told people to park their cars at businesses across from the mall and to wait for their loved ones, then directed them to a nearby hotel to await information.

Nebraska Medical Center spokeswoman Andrea McMaster said it had three victims from the mall shooting, including a 61-year-old man in critical condition with a bullet wound to his chest.

Three victims were brought Creighton University Medical Center; two died and the other was critically wounded, spokeswoman Lisa Stites said.

Wednesday evening, police used a bomb robot to search a Jeep Cherokee left in the mall parking lot. Authorities believe the vehicle belonged to Hawkins. Officers had seen some wires under some clothing, but no bomb was found.

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

"Having just visited with so many members of the community in Omaha today, the president is confident that they will pull together to comfort one another," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

A Von Maur store executive tells KMTV that it has a policy in place for such emergencies and employees, within the past year, had gone through training on how to handle emergencies.

The store, along with the entire Westroads Mall in Omaha, will be closed Thursday. The mall itself is surrounded by yellow crime scene tape - nearly a mile of it.

The Von Maur store is part of a 22-store Midwestern chain. The sprawling, three-level mall has more than 135 stores and restaurants. It gets 14.5 million visitors every year, according to its Web site.

This was the second mass shooting at a mall this year. In February, nine people were shot, five of them fatally, at Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City. The gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, was shot and killed by police.

[trapper4life]

Guns Dont kill People Kill some of us use guns for hunting only takes 1 dip *** like this guy to get people to want to hardin our gun laws Its *** alotta people get killed in car wrecks are we going to ban cars you fruit bat.

[alexalee2]

also, people are saying that hes not famous. guess what. he is. look how many of u have posted things just since yesterday. its just like charles starkwether 50 years ago who went on a killing spree with his girlfriend here in lincoln. i wasnt born that time, but people still talk about it today. 50 years later. its only been a day and its all over. im not defending him by any means. im just saying people all over the world know about it. he got his wish of being famous. but it was horrible wat he did to get there.

[alexalee2]

i live in nebraska. well, i live in lincoln, its an hour away from omaha. but a man from lincoln was killed yesterday. and worse, he was my best friends neighbor and he was planning on marrying his ex wife soon. its horrible. everybody here is affected by this. there is a lot of information about the victims. just for u that would like to know. i was gunna go to westroads yesterday to go shopping for christmas. thank god i didnt. not many things happen here in nebraska. so robert hawkins will be famous. not for a good reason, but hes famous. hes all the talk at schools and radio stations and tv. im a freshman at one of the high schools and in all 4 of my classes, someone brought it up at least once. the man is famous but its a horrible thing to be famous for. my dad is doing one of the victims funerals, cuz he is a funeral director. its so sad. im glad that robert hawkins took his own life. the victims didnt deserve wat happened to them

[snelson6280]

Its a sad story, I mean whats america coming to these days? We all have a rough life but thats what lifes about, nothing comes free and it sure in the heck doesn''t come on a golden platter. (Guysdigdirt) I totally agree with you on the news and radio stations, they need to leave out so much details about the killer and talk more about the ones that lost there lives. I mean come on now there just encouraging people to kill to be on T.v and radio stations, so now everyone in the world will know who they are. I think we need tougher gun control.

I send out my condolence''s to the familys that lost a loved one.

[lewiston14]

snelson6280: They did do a story on the victoms with what little information they had it''s on the CBS front page

[snelson6280]

Its a sad story, I mean whats america coming to these days? We all have a rough life but thats what lifes about, nothing comes free and it sure in the heck doesn''t come on a golden platter. (Guysdigdirt) I totally agree with you on the news and radio stations, they need to leave out so much details about the killer and talk more about the ones that lost there lives. I mean come on now there just encouraging people to kill to be on T.v and radio stations, so now everyone in the world will know who they are. I think we need tougher gun control.

I send out my condolence''s to the familys that lost a loved one.

[snelson6280]

Its a sad story, I mean whats america coming to these days? We all have a rough life but thats what lifes about, nothing comes free and it sure in the heck doesn''t come on a golden platter. (Guysdigdirt) I totally agree with you on the news and radio stations, they need to leave out so much details about the killer and talk more about the ones that lost there lives. I mean come on now there just encouraging people to kill to be on T.v and radio stations, so now everyone in the world will know who they are.

I send out my condolence''s to the familys that lost a loved one.

[lewiston14]

guysdigdirt: I did not ask the question of gun ownership. I only replied to someones question. Not having one around here is just asking for trouble. Based on population numbers we have a higher murder rate then NYC. Mostly drug or gang related. Im not going to stand around with my hands covering my Ba-LLS if somebody desides to open the door with a shot gun I can tell you that. Gated comunities work well also

[lewiston14]

This kid wanted to be famous

I dont think that is going to fly as they pick up his teeth off the floor. If he is famous I don''t think he knows it. Famous no way. Two weeks from now nobody will even remember his name.

[snelson6280]

Its a sad story, I mean whats america coming to these days? We all have a rough life but thats what lifes about, nothing comes free and it sure in the heck doesn''t come on a golden platter. (Guysdigdirt) I totally agree with you on the news and radio stations, they need to leave out so much details about the killer and talk more about the ones that lost there lives. I mean come on now there just encouraging people to kill to be on T.v and radio stations, so now everyone in the world will know who they are.

I send out my condolence''s to the familys that lost a loved one.

[jayallison61]

If we could band together as a nation and stop giving the people attention that do this, maybe things will change. This guy lived a loser and died a loser. End of story on him. Please report on the wonderful people that the loser took away from this life. Did he take doctors, mailman, mothers, fathers, young undecided lives? Please report on the ones that should be in the news and leave the loser anonymous.

[nutsie11]

LISTEN UP AMERICA!!! THIS KID HAD PROBLEMS-I WENT THROUGH THE SAME *** IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA AS FAR AS BEING A WARD OF STATE. MY MOM WENT INTO DRUG ALCHOHOL TREATMENT WHEN I WAS 12. NOBODY ELSE WOULD TAKE MY LITTLE BROTHER & I, SO THIS IS WHERE WE ENDED UP FOR 5 1/2 YRS.YOU DONT THINK I FELT ABANDONED,LEFT ALONE,NOBODY WANTS ME,SAD,AND ALL THE OTHER EMOTOINS THAT GO ALONG WITH BEING SCARED,AND SAD BECAUSE MY MOM & FAMILY DIDNT WANT ME.BUT, I OVERCAME THIS BY GETTIN TOUGH,AND FINALLY, AT AGE 24,PULLED MY HEAD OUT OF BUTT &REALIZE ITS ME THAT CAUSED MY OWN PROBLEMS. I FEEL SAD FOR THIS LOST PERSON, BUT I ALSO WOULD OF GOT MY WIFE & SON OUT OF HARMS WAY, THEN I WOULD HAVE STARTED MY HUNT FOR THE SHOOTER.I WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM BEFORE HE SHOOT SO MANY,TRUST ME ON THIS.BUT,WE ARE BEING KEPT FROM PROTECTING OURSELVES BY NOT BEING ABLE TO CARRY A GUN IN SOCIETY.I MEAN ARENT THESE BAD GUYS GETTIN GUNS TO KILL WITH ANYWAY? I FEEL A LITTLE DISADVANTAGE COMES IN TO PLAY..........THINK ABOUT IT?

[guysdigdirt]

People who believe more gun ownership is the answer are uneducated, ignorant fools. America has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, and also one of the highest murder rates. Is it possible there is a correlation there? It''''s also scary that some people like this psychopath possibly do end up in our military.
Posted by swilke54

So you think it is all about the number of guns and that links directly to the number of crimes and deaths. You are right in that respect, but wrong in the direction.

Washington has notlegal gun ownership by law abiding citizens, but the highest crime rate in the nation.

Russia has very rare gun ownership by law abiding citizens, but their crime, murder and suicide rates have been climbing while the same rates have been dropping in America as gun ownership has risen.

Get educated and do not believe all the rhetoric the control people tell you.

[guysdigdirt]

You can move away from a knike or club you can''''t move out of the way of a bullet.
Posted by georgeviv

You cannot move away from a car crashing into a crowd of people, you cannot move away from a knife if the person is too close or too big, you cannot move from a bomb made of fertilizer. Are those weapons to be blamed also, or the criminal?

[guysdigdirt]

Oh SPARE us - do you know how many criminals kill in the NAME of thier "god"????
Posted by ScarletPhD

Too many, but stick to the issue and stop twisting your arguements when you have not the ability to put together a sane thought with substantiation.

PHD? Like Heck!! You only have an education in being inane!!

[guysdigdirt]

At least one person was shot Wednesday at a busy mall in Nebraska..."

Some random disgruntled loser who had a gun and used it instead of acting out his frustrations by swinging a stick.
Posted by ScarletPhD

So if they swing a stick, or use a knife of run a car into a crowd of christmas shoppers it is better than using a gun? You are the classic head up your butt richard cranium!!

[guysdigdirt]

What is, after all, so effing great about owning guns??? What''''''''s the attraction?

It baffles me. You don''''''''t need them.

For me it was the thrill of the tin can hunt. I never killed a living thing. Took a couple of professional classes on the operation of various weapons and can hit that beer can from a mile and a half away. These rifles have sat silent for 10 years now. I do keep an assault weapon on standby in the slim chance that somebody wants break in and rob or hurt somebody. He won%u2019t even make it through the kitchen. It has a REAL LONG clip
Posted by lewiston14

You ask why gun owners want to have guns then you go on to say you have one for protection. Why do you want one?

Do you think if the gun control nuts get their way and take away only the guns some peopel say are not necessary, they will stop there?

[guysdigdirt]

This kid wanted to be famous, and he is the top story in every national headline today, giving him everything he wanted. I wish the media would take the stance of a local radio station here. They will talk about the victims, the tragedy, all the details that matter. But they REFUSE to mention the killers name or any details about his life.
Posted by umprw05

I agree with you here, why do the news media need to include his name, it is not a needed thing.

[georgeviv]

If the general public were not allowed guns, all that would have happend is one person may have been stabbed or one person may have been injured with a baseball bat. Having a gun makes any incident of anger or maddness into a multiple fatality incident. You can move away from a knike or club you can''t move out of the way of a bullet.

[guysdigdirt]

But the Concealed Gun Law did nothing to deter or prevent the tragic loss of life in a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska."
Posted by chitown639 at 09:34 AM : Dec 06, 2007

That is like saying there was a high school girl that got pregnant, so birth control will never work.

Do your homework if you want to make a statment. States with concealed carry rights have lower crime rates, overall, than non-carry states.

There is a city in the United States, almost a nation unto itself, that does not allow the citizens to have firearms. That city has the highest crime rate in the nation. Both characters of the city listed here have been so for 20 years. No gun, highest crime- Washington DC. Guns do not kill people, people kill people.