Mall Shooter A Dropout With Criminal Past

19-Year-Old Gunman Lost Job And Girlfriend In Weeks Prior To Deadly Attack

(CBS/AP)  A high school dropout with a criminal past, Robert A. Hawkins had struggled to overcome depression. But friends thought he was making strides.

Then, about two weeks ago, he lost his girlfriend. A week later, it was his job. His friends worried he would regress.

CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds reports that according to police, the 19-year-old left behind warning signs in text messages, telephone calls and notes to friends leading up to the bloodbath.

"We have confiscated the notes," said Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren. "They do provide us with some indication that this incident was premeditated."

Reynolds reports that police say Hawkins went into an Omaha shopping mall twice on Wednesday - the first time possibly to check it out. The second time though, his intention was clearly to act as he stepped off the elevator on the third floor of the mall and began a shooting rampage that killed eight people.

Witnesses told CBS News the first volley was toward the children's clothing section, the second at people on an elevator from the second floor, and the last at the customer service area where shoppers and workers were shot at the counter where gifts were being wrapped. At least 30 rounds were fired.

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Audio Of Call To Omaha Police During Mall Shooting

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It ended when he turned his high-powered rifle on himself. The rampage was as troubling as it was puzzling for those who knew him.

"He came to us like a little lost puppy. He was always very sensitive and caring, always wanting to know how everybody was doing," Debora Maruca-Kovac, a surgical nurse whose family took in Hawkins after her 17- and 19-year-old sons befriended him, told CBS' The Early Show. "He just needed a chance to get on his feet."

"I was fearful that he was going to try to commit suicide," she told The Early Show. "But I had no idea that he would involve so many other families."

Maruca-Kovac added, "I feel so sorry for him, that he was so lost and alone that he had to resort to this."

Hawkins had been in trouble before. There was a felony drug conviction in March 2005 and the disorderly conduct charge seven months later. He was due in court later this month on charges he contributed to the delinquency of a minor.

But Maruca-Kovac said she saw nothing foreshadowing the horror Hawkins would inflict during his last moments alive. She remembered a gentle young man who loved animals. She regarded him so benignly that when he showed her an SKS semiautomatic rifle the night before his attack, she thought little of it, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

"He was a very helpful young man, but he was quiet," she said.

"He didn't cause a lot of trouble. He tried to help out all the time," Maruca-Kovac said. "He was very thankful for everything. He wasn't a violent person at all."

But she had a feeling of despair soon after she learned about Wednesday shootings. By then, she had learned of a suicide note that Hawkins had left behind.

"I had a feeling it could be him," she said.

She said she and her husband let Hawkins stay with them after he left or was kicked out of his family's house. Court records show that at least once he was termed a ward of the state, which legally removed him from his parents' custody.

With Hawkins living in her home, Maruca-Kovac could see he had a drinking problem and was an occasional marijuana smoker. He enjoyed music and video games - "normal teenager stuff," she said.

"He was depressed, and he had always been depressed," Maruca-Kovac said. "But he looked like he was getting better."

Hawkins had earned a GED after dropping out of Papillion-La Vista High School. He got a driver's license after moving in with the Maruca-Kovacs and five months ago started working at a McDonald's restaurant near their raised ranch-style home in a middle-class neighborhood in Bellevue, Maruca-Kovac said.

He was fired from that job this week, Maruca-Kovac said. Two employees of the McDonald's who were eating there Wednesday said they had been told not to talk to anyone about Hawkins.

Hawkins was not on any medication for mental illness, but he had been treated in the past for depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Maruca-Kovac said.

Hawkins lived with several friends for a couple days at a time before landing at Maruca-Kovac's house last year, she said.

"He was like a lost pound puppy that nobody wanted," she said. "I felt sorry for him. I let him stay, and we tried to get him on his feet."

Maruca-Kovac, who works at Nebraska Medical Center, said she was getting ready for work Wednesday when Hawkins phoned her at about 1 p.m., telling her he had left a note. She tried to get him to explain.

"He said, 'It's too late,"' and hung up, she told CNN. She then called Hawkins' mother.

In the note, which was turned over to authorities, Hawkins wrote that he was "sorry for everything" and would not be a burden on his family anymore.

"Now I'll be famous," he wrote.

Maruca-Kovac went to the medical center, where victims of the shooting soon began to arrive.

[frankson2]

THE ARTICLE DOES NOT ADDRESS THE QUESTION AS TO HOW HE GOT AHOLD OF THE RIFLE. UNTIL THAT QUESTION IS ANSWERED THE COVERAGE IS INCOMPLETE.

[toolmangler-2009]

That question is moot. you want rifles? Google "guns for sale", it''s that easy

[prinzowhales]

Maruca-Kovac has to be the stupidest creature...She was afraid he was going to commit suicide...he showed her a rifle and she thought little of it...2+2...2 2...wait a minute...the answer will come to me in a moment....

[justfacts2]

Why is it when a person is suicidal they don''t kill just themselves? Why is it they take innocent strangers with them? I hope this jerk is rotting in eternity for what he did. My heart goes out to his family for this jerk''s stupidity and selfishness during a holiday season. I cannot begin to fathom what that family is going through or the families of the victims.

[jumkey]

We all ought to send thank you notes to the NRA for working so hard to ensure people like Hawkins continue to have access to weapons.

[biguugly]

The loss of life is a tragedy .Both for the victims famileys and this young mans.
his weapon of choice to gain fame was a gun it could just as easily been a knife club or explosive device just look on the net .

[craigh9]

Why is the media giving this person the attention he craved. You are setting the stage for future events by individuals that want to "become famous" by taking innocent lives. This could be reported without giving the shooter the "glory" he desired.

[stevex47]

"his weapon of choice to gain fame was a gun it could just as easily been a knife club or explosive device just look on the net."

Okay, then make him use a knife of deivce. Pulling a trigger is too easy to take out so many.

[gunownerdan]

Anyone else notice that these mass shootings almost always happen in "gun free zones"?
Killers love defenseless victims.

[lilbeards1]

V_161877, a few tips for you...

1. Take an English course and learn some writing skills.
2. Get a life
3. Go post your comments on an article that is actually relavant to your "issues".

[eggy1620]

Prinzowhales, you%u2019re right on. That woman, through her public comments, has just opened herself up to a world of lawsuits from which her family will never recover.

[rod4chiefs]

I would just like to ask Ms. Maruca-Kovac why she thought it was alright for an adolescent with a drinking problem and possible drug problem, and, who had just lost his job and his girl, to have a semi-automatic rifle in his possession. Too many parent/guardians look the other way when teenagers in their households are in possession of weapons. No wonder there are so many young people who strike out at innocent people because they feel that there is no other way for them to work out their frustrations.

[hotpaulie]

I know Nebraska is a NRA gun loving state, but how did this "troubled" kid get such a gun?

These people that decide to go on shooting rampages should first commit suicide and then try to hurt others.

[ladyephesus1]

I just feel sorry for the boy. He should have received more help. People are just cruel.This is the world we live in now.Nobody gives a rats *ss about anyone anymore. Kids are being put out with no concern from the family. This guy had nobody!!
This poor woman tries to save a child that wasnt even her own. This was preventable for sure.

[pavlikogirl]

I personally knew this kid and he was a good friend i never thought hed do something like this. this is shocking and scary, prayers go out to the families

[cherilynn2-2009]

I have to agree with some of the other commentors, Maruca-Kovac is an idiot. She should have saw something coming and could have possibly prevented this from happening. And why the big publicity on Hawkins, we''re just giving him what he wanted. He has achieved his goal. I hope everyone can pray for the families of the victims at this time.

[dapsugarwily]

AND ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED BY THIS KIND OF S H I T NEGROS .. AND S H I T ARTIST... AND MAKE UNSTABLE WITH DISCRIMINATION INSIDE THE SCHOOLS ..

Posted by V_161877 at 12:25 PM : Dec 06, 2007

________________________________________________

Blaming Negroes for this???? That''s a stretch. Obviously you''re a loser who can''t get a date. Don''t blame us. Also, take grammar & spelling lessons before posting a comment which may be read by intelligent people you idiot.

[marie257]

~ In regards to yet another massacre ~

I am so tired of blame being placed on depression, alcoholism, anti-depressants, adhd the list goes on and on... The point is: you never have the right to end someone else%u2019s life, unless you are saving your own. So you are depressed, and you want to kill someone - you think it is going to make you famous? Sure you will make the 6 O%u2019clock headlines, that way millions of people can put a face to the disgust they feel for you. It would be so much better if you just had the guts to end your own life, without taking someone else with you. Congratulations... you will be forgotten by most, the name will fade with the next coward who graces future headline news with his or her "troubled life." Pity the fool that has sympathy for a murderer. Life is tough, get tougher.

It makes me sick.

[bhappy2-2]

C''''mon America! If you are so damned proud of that 2nd Amendment, how about one or two of you stepping up and either taking a bullet defending society, or ending one of these sprees?

Regards,

Posted by Nancy_Naive

Well Nancy, why don''t YOU tell US where the next attack will be and WE will be there to fulfill your request. If YOU can''t provide a time, date and location to US then YOU need to shut up and go somewhere else to be Naive-Nancy.

And, PLEASE make sure it isn''t in a "gun-free" zone like this one. WE intend to continue to be law-abiding citizens.

[talbot793]

I was horrified to learn that this young man had to wait 3 weeks before he could get his assault rifle. I thought this country had a second amendment.

[talbot793]

I was horrified to learn that this young man had to wait 3 weeks before he could get his assault rifle. I thought this country had a second amendment.

[talbot793]

I was horrified to learn that this young man had to wait 3 weeks before he could get his assault rifle. I thought this country had the right to bear arms.

[jrcolmena]

"when he showed her an SKS semiautomatic rifle the night before his attack, she thought little of it"
She new he was deppresed, she new he could be suicidal...
I think she has some responsability on this too

[talbot793]

I was horrified to learn that this young man had to wait 3 weeks before he could get his assault rifle. I thought this country had the right to bear arms.

[marie257]

I know it is all in good sarcasm, true we will never live in a perfect society... but lets not blame the gun, blame the finger on the trigger. And I really do not feel it is an appropriate time for amendment sattire.

[talbot793]

I was shocked to learn this guy had to wait 3 weeks before he could get an assault rifle. I thought this country had the right to bear arms.

[ptruth2]

"when he showed her an SKS semiautomatic rifle the night before his attack, she thought little of it"

So you have a depressed guest in your house who shows you a high powered assault rifle and you "thought little of it.'' She''s an idiot who shares responibility for what happened. No intelligent person would ever ignore a high powered assualt rifle being brought into your home by any guest, let alone a depressed stranger who has been tossed about before you took him in. And she''s nurse?????

[marie257]

jrc -


I agree you would think there was something wrong with that picture ... minor with a semi automatic weapon - I know I wouldn''t think twice... *eyeroll*

[drdilemma]

Amazing how yet another of the shooting rampage perps was "treated" for add or adhd. Pfizer should be held accountable.

[dapsugarwily]

OBVIOUSLY YOU''''RE A STUPID NEGRO JAY-Z FAN BULLSH!T WITH A LUXURY CAR THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SUPERMAN STUPID AZZ HOLE.....

_________________

Wrong.... Knowing I''m intellectually superior to fools like you makes me Superman. Now run along to your Skinhead or KKK meeting, go cruising for hookers or whatever feeble minded dweebs such as yourself do to pass time. Let''s leave this forum for people to express their thoughts

[rosevk]

although this is again a terrible tragedy, one news report questioned how someone could walk into the mall carrying an assault weapon without any intervention, I suppose now all malls are going to be required to have armed guards at every door and expect every one to go through some sort of security screening just to go shopping.

[goldesprit]

"Now I''ll be famous." is the only thing I read.

I then elected to skip the story--and I will not BE paying any attention to the name of this nothing who was obviously a legend in his own mind.

Its a cinch to destroy things.

THAT IS NOT ART. PERIOD.

Things are tough all over--thats no excuse for this ***.

[blancadebree]

Well obviously this massacre would never have happened if everyone in the mall had guns. They could have turned their guns on the shooter, preventing many from dying. Once again the answer is not more gun control but less. Make America safer this Christmas and give your child a gun!

http://blancadebree.blogspot.com

[cathomas71]

I am a middle class married mother of 2 with depression and semiautomatic weapons, and a GED. Not EVERYONE with depression, guns and a GED kill.... This man''s troubles obviously stemmed deeper than anyone had known.

[cathomas71]

If I recall something like this used to be called "GOING POSTAL".

[alicia64]

Just a couple of comments:
1) To all the expounders of "Gun Laws" - he stole the rifle. We have an extensive amount of legislation trying to reign in stealing, but it didn''t help.
2) All the Media coverage is just providing groundwork to another "depressed" individual to find "Fame" via the press. This is a set up that the news has gladly embraced. His goal was fulfilled and we did it.

[rohink-2009]

jrc -


I agree you would think there was something wrong with that picture ... minor with a semi automatic weapon - I know I wouldn''''t think twice... *eyeroll*

Posted by Marie257
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Everyone is focusing on the rifle. What about the fact that a "nurse" took a minor into her home, she knew he was depressed and that he drank alcohol and smoked marijuana? Both of those substances could only increase his depression not to mention ILLEGAL!
But we have to ban guns.

[cathomas71]

My Husband has a firearms carrying permit. He most certainly has his gun on him at all times when we are out shopping. Because, NO, you cant trust anyone to protect you but yourself. If anyone ever tries to hurt us, my husband will protect us.

[rohink-2009]

The mother felt sorry for the kid. She brought him into her house because he was a friend of her 17 and 19 year old. I bet she was one of those "cool moms".

[cathomas71]

So nobody else had a gun in this mall? This boy was the ONLY one in this ENTIRE mall to have a gun?

[kpowell8-2009]

There are no excuses for what this guy did!!!

[cathomas71]

THE DISCRIMINATION INSIDE THE SCHOOLS TURN THIS INOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL BOY INTO A MURDERER .. THIS GUY WAS A ARTIST WITH A PROMINENT ARTIST FUTURE BUT THE DISCRIMINATION INSIDE THE SCHOOLS AND THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS WHO LIKES MORE THE BOYS WITH LUXURY CARS AND LUXURY THINGS BRINGS THE REAL HATE INTO THE SCHOOLS AND THIS IS THE RESULT OF THAT GARBAGE .. THIS IS THE REAL CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES ... AND A SOCIAL CONTAMINATION TO ALL THE WORLD... WE ALL SEE IT IN THE MUSIC CULTURE AND HOLLYWOOD.. LIKE JAY-Z WHO IS IN THE TOP OF THE UNITED STATES CULTURE HE TEACH US ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD THAT WITHOUT MONEY AND LUXURY THINGS YOU''''RE A S H I T ...
AND ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INFLUENCED BY THIS KIND OF S H I T NEGROS .. AND S H I T ARTIST... AND MAKE UNSTABLE ALL THE SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD WITH THIS EXAMPLE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF DISCRIMINATION INSIDE ALL THE SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD....
IS THIS THE EXAMPLE OF A GOOD ARTIST TO A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE. WE WANT .? OF COURSE NOT..

I agree with some of this statement. I live near a town where the average home is $500k. If you are in highschool and drive anything less than a $40k Mercedes to school, you are considered to be a poor worthless piece of sh@t. This same highschool is nicknamed Heroine High. Celebrities influence too much with their $$$$, fancy cars and drugs. Have you ever heard the song Rockstar by Nickelback.

[rohink-2009]

There are two arguments going on here. One side is focusing on gun control, the other the right to bear arms and you are missing what the real problem is. He was 19 and kicked out of his home, he moved in with a "caring mother" of his under age friends, she knew he was depressed and had a problem with alcohol and marijuana use "you know, normal teenage stuff" her quote and he had a rifle. Our society is sick.

[cathomas71]

skykk- thank you for posting that response.

[cathomas71]

In todays society, teens with alcohol and marijuana is unfortunately considered normal.

[displeased]

So nobody else had a gun in this mall? This boy was the ONLY one in this ENTIRE mall to have a gun?
Posted by cathomas71

That''s correct. And that''s the way it is in schools too. That''s why these places are easy targets for killing sprees. And even if we had strict gun controls that prevented this person form obtaining a gun, he would have found other means to "make himself famous"

[smiley676]

THE DISCRIMINATION INSIDE THE SCHOOLS TURN THIS INOCENT AND BEAUTIFUL BOY INTO A MURDERER ..

He turned himself into a murderer.

[rohink-2009]

In todays society, teens with alcohol and marijuana is unfortunately considered normal.

Posted by cathomas71

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Oh, then my apologies. It makes it alright. What if one day (which is closer than you think) it is considered normal for 6-10 year olds having s*x, drinking and doing drugs? Say oh, well? The mother allowed that child into her home knowing he was depressed and drank and smoked marijuana (cause it''s normal teenage stuff). Maybe parents should take the responsibility of raising children to be "good" people, instead of either trying to be one of the "cool" parents or so self absorbed that they are oblivious to what is going on.

[Jeff Prager]

We live in a very sad excuse for "society"

[smiley676]

We live in a very sad excuse for "society"


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Posted by Dakota19551

Then make it better.