PORTLAND OREGON MALL
WHERE SHOOTING OCCURED 12-11-12
Dee Finney's blog
start date July 20, 2011
today's date December 11, 2012
page 396
TOPIC: OREGON MALL SHOOTING
HERE ARE A PAIR OF DREAMS PUBLISHED BEFORE THE EVENT:
10-4-12 - I had this dream after listening to a youtube.com video/audio about
something going to happen soon. I couldn't listen to the whole thing because I
got so tired, I felt like I was going to fall off the chair.
DREAM - I was in my house somewhere, and I looked up at the ceiling and I
could see a round dark object that was rather blueish purple with pinkish blue
lines on it going clockwise, but when I looked at them, it seemed they were also
going counter-clockwise direction. The lines were not moving, but the object was
hanging in the space above me.
I looked down and back up multiple times, and each time I looked up, this
dark object was hanging above me - not in the room, nor on the ceiling, but it
was like I was seeing it 'through' the ceiling into the night time sky.
I wanted to go outside and see if I could still see it, and the telephone
rang.
I picked up the phone quickly and said, "Hello!" and a female voice said very quickly, "This is beefnet.net." She said it like it had some meaning to me.
I said, "Yes?" and she repeated it again, "This is beefnet.net." Again, it sounded like I should know what it was without her telling me.
I had not called anyone, so I was dumbfounded about it.
Just then, the radio came on all by itself, and a male voice announced like
it was an emergency, "Something pink has just landed on the ground."
That didn't make any sense either. Emergency radio announcements were suppose
to have like warning beepings before they said anything. so again I was
dumbfounded as to what he was talking about.
My husband came into the room then, and I told him these strange things that
had happened, and he said, "Well, let's go for a ride in the car and see what we
can see."
I thought that was a great idea. I wanted to see what was in the sky, and
what had landed on the ground.
When we got outside, it was fairly dark outside, but not pitch black and we
could see well without a flashlight or street light.
I didn't see anything hanging in the sky, but thought perhaps it was behind a
tree or a house or building at that moment and I'd see it from a different
vantage point.
My husband started driving towards the mall, and the road became more and more crowded as we neared the place, and hundreds of cars ahead of us were turning into the mall parking lot where I could see two large piles of something pink on the ground next to the driveway where the cars were turning.
Instead of finding a parking space near the piles of pink, whatever it was,
he decided to go all the way to the buildings where Sears was located.
While we were driving towards the Sears building, I saw several large, tall roosters that were brownish-red and they were almost running but not trying to fly - just walking really fast towards where the piles of pink were on the ground.
The roosters weren't together, but apparently they were going to gather at the piles of pink.
Sheila's response:
Dee, Osama bin Laden was born in the Year of the Rooster. Sears,
my high school teacher, Mr. Soper or Mr. Sexton, said was the fourth
largest department store in the world. These days, Indonesia is the
fourth largest country in the world. So it might mean something
about the earthquakes recently in Indonesia--maybe there are going
to be more of them.
I also dreamed about being in a mall this morning. I was passing
Burlington Coat Factory which is on the Sears end of Del Amo Mall in
Los Angeles. I looked up "Del Amo" in my Spanish dictionary and it
means "Boss."
10-5-12 [dream one] I'm in the backseat of my old Datsun wagon. The
driver [my deceased father-in-law] parks across the street from the
National Park Service building at the Price Mall and everyone else
jumps out leaving the doors unlocked and car running. I fall behind
checking all the windows. I climb into the driver seat and turn the
key off but it doesn't work. I remove the key and it still doesn`t
work. I put the key back in, follow a girl on her way to work and
turn right on Front Street. The street is under construction and she
drives through a big pile of sand. My gear shift knob comes off in
my hand.
[dream two] I'm in a bus--pointed away from the school--that's
parked in the middle of the street in front of my deceased Aunt
Lucille's house next door to the school [she died 1-18-11]. I see my
nephew's ex-wife Lacey with her relatives on the corner near her old
apartment across the street. The bus is parked on the bridge over
the creek that runs alongside the school property and baseball
field. Two guys get on the bus talking about their aunt [Blake/
Zane].
The bus driver drives towards the school. It's Friday night and
there are a lot of people milling around on the baseball field in
the twilight looking for people they know. I spot Don Six in a plaid
check suit he wore in high school with two friends in the crowd.
I get in a bronze Classic Ford/ Chevy [downtown in real life at the
car show]. I'm in the backseat with 5-6 other passengers. There
aren't any seatbelts, but there's a strap to hang on to. The driver
drives fast, around the school, through some piles of dirt in a
construction site around the school, down a straight flat road and
stops at a Mall entrance that looks like an emergency room.
Inside, I find a military installation and watch two young guys in
belted white uniforms like UFO aliens wear. An alarm sounds and they
run to a glass wall where two girls fall down an up escalator. There
are 3-4 huge earth-movers parked there. I crawl over them trying to
get back up on the Mall floor. They drive away like the job is done
and I climb up the escalator like the two girls did.
There are 2-3 rectangular plots of white tulips and some short blue
and gold flowers like primroses I have to walk across to get back
inside the mall. I can't lift my feet and I glide. Then I'm in shock
watching a movie of myself in the denim dress on my Facebook page. I
eat a cake donut with chocolate frosting and white sprinkles and
take a bite of another cake donut with white frosting and [white?]
sprinkles--then smash it down on the white fried donut hole, putting
it back in the donut and dumping it down a hole in the counter.
I get anxiety and walk through the crowd looking for someone I know.
I didn't see the faces of the people in the Classic car, and the
driver I thought I knew was just a youngish skinny guy with a short
beard.
There are two levels to the mall like at Del Amo [Boss] Mall. The
upper level is like a bridge or cat walk over Burlington Coat
Factory in real life. The crowd ahead of me stops and I hear them
talking about a woman getting off a plane.
I tell my boss that I should find the Food Court--that's the most
likely place someone I know would eventually would show up. I say
that my second sister is deaf and wouldn't go to a music store.
I walk past a woman's cubicle. She's at lunch and I read two books
from her desk and hold her black cordless receiver to my ear the
whole time. I don't want to steal the book, so I look for the title
and author in the front and see the price of $5-- like it`s from
Psychic Eye Bookstore.
My boss walks up and looks impatient so I hand him the phone and
books. I tell him the book was by someone, not Cocteau, and that the
summary of the plot was that it's a dream he had, while waiting the
night before, to write a letter. [Joe Haldeman/ Forever War/ Forever
Peace/ Marsbound/ Earthbound/ Starbound]
I go back to the desk to see if my boss put the books back and look
around some more. The books have red and blue plaid covers, the
woman's photo and name are on the end of her cubicle wall--she's
blond with long hair, named "Devereux." There are two DVDs on the
desk and 5-6 boxes of candy. I open the book looking for the first
story and find a second one with illustrations of Roman/ Greek
statues, some new and some in ruins. A voice says that antiquity is
best viewed in two timelines [Gary Jennings/ Mayan 2012 book].
An elderly lady walks up and asks where the chocolate is that I saw
on the desk a second ago. One small flat box has jelly bellies in
it. I want to call my father for a ride but I don't know his number
and I remember in the dream that my mother has dementia so I can't
call her anymore. A blond girl tells me that the phone [I was using
earlier] stores the last four numbers you called and the company
checks long distance calls to see if you've ever called them before
to fit your profile/ usual pattern. My boss still has the phone.
I follow the elderly lady wondering what she's going to do. She
walks to a door and asks for a referral to a "rich young artist."
After I wake up, a voice says, "who did you trust then, Ed Arnold?"
NOTE: my uncle, Keith Arnold, worked for Firestone and moonlighted
for the police/ sheriff department.
Sheila
THE ROOSTERS IN THE DREAM ARE IMPORTANT:
FROM READING ABOUT ABRAXAS AS A DEMON AND KNOWING THAT ALCOHOLISM BRINGS IN THE DEMONIC, THIS COULD EASILY FIT INTO THE SCENARIO OF THE SHOOTER.
ABRAXAS
Abrasax (Gk. ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ, which is far more common in the sources than the variant form Abraxas, ΑΒΡΑΞΑΣ) was a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the “Great Archon” (Gk., megas archōn), the princeps of the 365 spheres (Gk., ouranoi).[1] In Gnostic cosmology, the 7 letters spelling its name represent each of the 7 classic planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.[2]
The word
is found
in Gnostic
texts such as the
Holy Book of the Great
Invisible
Spirit,
and also appears
in the
Greek Magical
Papyri.
It was engraved on certain
antique
gemstones, called on that account Abraxas
stones, which
were used as
amulets or charms. As the
initial
spelling
on stones was 'Abrasax' (Αβρασαξ), the spelling
of 'Abraxas' seen today probably originates
in the confusion
made between the Greek letters
Sigma
and
Xi
in the Latin
transliteration.
The word may be related to
Abracadabra, although other explanations
exist.
There are similarities and differences between such figures in reports about Basilides' teaching, ancient Gnostic texts, the larger Greco-Roman magical traditions, and modern magical and esoteric writings. Opinions abound on Abraxas, who in recent centuries has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon.[3] The Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung wrote a short Gnostic treatise in 1916 called The Seven Sermons to the Dead, which called Abraxas a God higher than the Christian God and Devil, that combines all opposites into one Being.
In the system described by Irenaeus, "the Unbegotten Father" is the progenitor of Nous, and from Nous Logos, from Logos Phronesis, from Phronesis Sophia and Dynamis, from Sophia and Dynamis principalities, powers, and angels, the last of whom create "the first heaven." They in turn originate a second series, who create a second heaven. The process continues in like manner until 365 heavens are in existence, the angels of the last or visible heaven being the authors of our world. "The ruler" [principem, i.e.. probably ton archonta] of the 365 heavens "is Abraxas, and for this reason he contains within himself 365 numbers."
The name occurs in the Refutation of all Heresies (vii. 26) by Hippolytus, who appears in these chapters to have followed the Exegetica of Basilides. After describing the manifestation of the Gospel in the Ogdoad and Hebdomad, he adds that the Basilidians have a long account of the innumerable creations and powers in the several 'stages' of the upper world (diastemata), in which they speak of 365 heavens and say that "their great archon" is Abrasax, because his name contains the number 365, the number of the days in the year; i.e. the sum of the numbers denoted by the Greek letters in ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ according to the rules of isopsephy is 365:
Epiphanius
(Haer.
69, 73 f.) appears to follow partly
Irenaeus, partly the lost Compendium
of Hippolytus.[4]
He designates
Abrasax more distinctly
as "the power above all, and First
Principle,"
"the cause and first
archetype" of all things;
and mentions
that the Basilidians
referred to 365 as the number of parts (mele)
in the human body, as well as of days
in the year.
The author of the appendix
to Tertullian
De Praescr. Haer. (c. 4), who likewise
follows Hippolytus's
Compendium,[5]
adds some further particulars;
that 'Abraxas' gave birth
to Mind
(nous), the first
in the series
of primary
powers enumerated likewise
by
Irenaeus and Epiphanius;
that the world, as well as the 365 heavens, was created
in honour of 'Abraxas;' and that Christ
was sent not by the Maker of the world but by 'Abraxas.'
Nothing
can be built
on the vague allusions
of
Jerome, according
to whom 'Abraxas' meant for Basilides
"the greatest God" (De vir.
ill. 21), "the highest
God" (Dial.
adv. Lucif.
23), "the Almighty
God" (Comm.
in Amos
iii. 9), and "the Lord the Creator" (Comm.
in Nah.
i. 11). The notices
in
Theodoret
(Haer. fab.
i. 4),
Augustine
(Haer. 4), and 'Praedestinatus'
(i.
3), have no
independent value.
It is evident from these particulars that Abrasax was the name of the first of the 365 Archons, and accordingly stood below Sophia and Dynamis and their progenitors; but his position is not expressly stated, so that the writer of the supplement to Tertullian had some excuse for confusing him with "the Supreme God."
With the availability of primary sources, such as the those in Nag Hammadi library, the identity of Abrasax remains unclear. The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, for instance, refers to Abrasax as an Aeon dwelling with Sophia and other Aeons of the Pleroma in the light of the luminary Eleleth. In several texts, the luminary Eleleth is the last of the luminaries (Spiritual Lights) that come forward, and it is the Aeon Sophia, associated with Eleleth, who encounters darkness and becomes involved in the chain of events that leads to the Demiurge's rule of this world, and the salvage effort that ensues. As such, the role of Aeons of Eleleth, including Abrasax, Sophia, and others, pertains to this outer border of the Pleroma that encounters the ignorance of the world of Lack and interacts to rectify the error of ignorance in the world of materiality.
In a great majority of instances
the name Abrasax
is
associated
with a singular composite figure, having a
Chimera-like appearance
somewhat resembling a
basilisk
or the Greek primordial god
Chronos
(not to be confused
with the Greek titan
Cronus). According to
E. A. Wallis Budge, "as
a Pantheus,
i.e. All-God, he appears on the amulets
with the head of a
cock (Phœbus)
or of a lion (Ra or
Mithras),
the body of a man,
and his legs are serpents which terminate in scorpions, types of the
Agathodaimon. In his right hand
he grasps
a club, or a flail,
and in his left is a round or oval shield." This form was
also referred to
as the
Anguipede. Budge surmised that Abrasax
was
"a form of the
Adam
Kadmon of the
Kabbalists
and the Primal Man
whom God made in His own image."[7]
Some parts at least of the figure above mentioned are solar symbols, and the Basilidian Abrasax is manifestly connected with the sun. J. J. Bellermann has speculated that "the whole represents the Supreme Being, with his Five great Emanations, each one pointed out by means of an expressive emblem. Thus, from the human body, the usual form assigned to the Deity, forasmuch as it is written that God created man in his own image, issue the two supporters, Nous and Logos, symbols of the inner sense and the quickening understanding, as typified by the serpents, for the same reason that had induced the old Greeks to assign this reptile for an attribute to Pallas. His head—a cock's—represents Phronesis, the fowl being emblematical of foresight and vigilance. His two hands bear the badges of Sophia and Dynamis, the shield of Wisdom, and the scourge of Power."[8]
These Abrasax-stones
often bear Hebraic names of God:
Iao,
Sabaoth,
Adonai,
Eloai. The name ΙΑΩ, to which ΣΑΒΑΩΘ is sometimes added, is found
with this figure even more frequently than
ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ,
and they are often combined. Beside
an Abrasax
figure the following, for instance,
is found: IAΩ ABPAΣAΞ AΔΩN ΑΤΑ, "Iao Abrasax,
thou art the Lord".[9]
With the Abrasax-shield
are also found the divine names Sabaoth Iao, Iao Abrasax,
Adonai Abrasax,
etc.[10]
Magical papyri
The
magic papyri reflect the same ideas
as the Abrasax-gems.
The following example will suffice: "Iao Sabaoth, Adonai . . . Abrasax".[11]
The patriarchs are sometimes addressed
as deities; for which fact many
instances
may be adduced. In the group "Iakoubia, Iaosabaoth Adonai Abrasax,"[12]
the first name seems to be composed of
Jacob
and Ya.
The Leyden papyrus recommends that this invocation be pronounced to the
moon:
[24] Ho! Sax, Amun, Sax, Abrasax; for thou art the moon, (25) the chief of the stars, he that did form them, listen to the things that I have(?) said, follow the (words) of my mouth, reveal thyself to me, Than, (26) Thana, Thanatha, otherwise Thei, this is my correct name.[13]
The magic word "Ablanathanalba," which reads in Greek the same backward as forward, also occurs in the Abrasax-stones as well as in the magic papyri. This word is usually conceded to be derived from the Hebrew (Aramaic), meaning "Thou art our father" (אב לן את), and also occurs in connection with Abrasax; the following inscription is found upon a metal plate in the Carlsruhe Museum:
EVERYTHING IS SPECULATION EXCEPT THAT THE SHOOTER AND TWO CITIZENS ARE DEAD
12-12-12 - THE SHOOTER IS IDENTIFIED AS JACOB TYLER ROBERTS - AGE 22
THE SHOOTER COMMITTED SUICIDE.
A FOURTH PERSON WAS ALSO HURT - BUT CONDITION UNKNOWN
THE SHOOTER WENT INTO MACY'S AND WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FOOD COURT AND STARTED
SHOOTING AT RANDOM,
WITH MURDER IN HIS EYES, IT HAS BEEN SAID. INVESTIGATION HAS BEGUN.
THE ENTIRE MALL WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW.
THE FOURTH PERSON IS A YOUNG LADY - STILL UNIDENTIFIED.
FOUR SWAT TEAMS RESPONDED AND MADE SURE THERE WERE NO OTHER SHOOTERS INVOLVED.
THE MALL IS 4 MILLION SQ. FT. AND 10,000 PEOPLE WERE THERE, RUNNING CHAOTICALLY IN EVERY DIRECTION.
IT WAS HIGH STRESS FOR EVERYONE. NURSES AND DOCTORS WERE THERE IMMEDIATELY TO HELP PEOPLE WHO WERE INJURED.
OVER 100 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WERE THERE.
THE FAMILY MEMBERS OR WITNESSES ARE ASKED TO CALL AND TELL WHAT THEY SAW. SPECULATION IS RUNNING RAMPANT STILL AT THIS TIME.
THERE ARE STILL MANY DESCRIPTIONS OF WHAT THE SHOOTER WAS WEARING.
THE SHOOTER IS TENTATIVELY IDENTIFIED, BUT THE POLICE ARE NOT RELEASING HIS NAME UNTIL THEY ARE 100% SURE THEY KNOW WHO HE WAS.
STROLLERS, PURSES, ALL KINDS OF THINGS WERE LEFT BEHIND IN THE MALL, AND THERE WILL BE A DELAY IN RETURNING THOSE THINGS TO THEIR OWNERS, BUT IT WILL BE DONE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.
IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER THE SHOOTER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE MALL OR THE STORE.
THE POLICE DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT VEHICLE OR HOW THE SHOOTER GOT THERE.
THE POLICE DO NOT YET KNOW IF THERE WAS AN ACCOMPLICE TO THE SHOOTER.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A gunman opened fire in a suburban Portland shopping mall Tuesday, killing two people and wounding another as people were doing their Christmas shopping, authorities said.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos and disbelief as a gunman wearing some sort of camouflage outfit and what looked like a hockey mask fired rounds fire from a military-style rifle near the food court at Clackamas Town Center.
Parents with children joined other shoppers rushing to stores' backrooms for safety as teams of police officers began entering the mall to find the shooter.
Clackamas County sheriff's Lt. James Rhodes said later that the gunman was dead, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A shopper told KATU-TV he saw a man lying on the floor with a gun next to him.
Authorities went store-to-store to confirm that there was only one shooter and to escort hiding shoppers outside, Rhodes said.
Austin Patty, 20, who works at Macy's, said he saw a man in a white mask carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest.
He heard the gunman say, "I am the shooter," as if announcing himself, Patty said. He then fired several shots paced seconds apart.
A series of rapid-fire shots in short succession followed. Patty said he ducked to the ground and then ran.
His Macy's co-worker, Pam Moore, told The Associated Press the gunman was short, with dark hair, and dressed in camouflage.
"I heard about 20 shots and everyone hit the ground," Moore said. "That's when we all just ran."
Witnesses said the mall's Santa Claus was among those who ducked for cover.
The mall is one of the Portland area's busiest. It's in a middle-class area that has become popular with families as falling real estate prices have put its homes just a few miles from downtown Portland within financial reach.
The mall has about 185 stores and a 20-screen movie theater among anchor tenants that also include Nordstrom and J.C. Penney. Sheriff's deputies said it would remain closed during the investigation of the shooting, but it wasn't clear how long that would take.
Shaun Wik, 20, from Fairview, said he was Christmas shopping with his girlfriend Tuesday and opened a fortune cookie at the food court. Inside was written "live for today, remember yesterday, think of tomorrow."
As he read it, he heard three shots. He heard a man he believes was the gunman shout, "Get down!" but Wik and his girlfriend ran. He heard seven or eight more shots. He didn't turn around.
"If I had looked back, I might not be standing here," Wik said. "I might have been one of the ones who got hit."
Kira Rowland told KGW-TV that she was shopping at Macy's with her infant son when the shots started.
"All of a sudden you hear two shots, which sounded like balloons popping," Rowland told the station. "Everybody got on the ground. I grabbed the baby from the stroller and got on the ground."
Rowland said she heard people screaming and crying.
"I put the baby back in the stroller and ran like hell," Rowland said. "It was awful. It was shots after shots after shots like a massacre."
Holli Bautista, 28, said she was shopping in the Macy's for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard pops that sounded like firecrackers.
"I heard people running and screaming and saying 'Get out, there's somebody shooting,'" she told the AP. "It was a scene of chaos."
She said hundreds of shoppers and mall employees started running, and she and dozens of other people were trying to escape through an exit in the department store.
Bautista said the Macy's opens into the food court area, where it was reported the shootings took place. Bautista said it sounded like the shots were coming from that direction.
Tiffany Turgetto and her husband had exited Macy's through the first floor when they heard the gunshots coming from the second floor of the mall.
"People in front of us people were dropping, finding covering," she told the AP. "People were yelling screaming and gasping, yelling to get out.
"The lady next to us, she threw a chair and started running. We couldn't run because the chair was there."
Turgetto and her husband and other people were able to quickly leave through a Barnes & Noble bookstore before the police arrived and locked down the mall.
"I had left my phone at home. I was telling people to call 911. Surprisingly, people are around me, no one was calling 911. I think people were in shock."
Kaelynn Keelin was working at two stores down from Macy's when the gunfire began and watched windows to another store get shot out.
She and her Made in Oregon co-workers ran to get customers inside the store to take shelter, Keelin said.
"We got lucky we stayed in," she said. "If we would have run out, we would have ran right into it."
___
Associated Press writers Nigel Duara in Portland, Michelle Price in Phoenix and Manuel Valdes in Seattle contributed to this report.
At least 1 dead in Portland area mall …
A gunman opened fire in a Portland, Ore., area shopping mall Tuesday, killing at least one person and … Full Story »At least 1 dead in Portland area mall shooting
Associated Press
At least one dead, possibly more, in …
(Reuters) - At least one person has been killed in a shooting at a busy Oregon mall on Tuesday in the … Full Story »At least one dead, possibly more, in Oregon mall shooting: police
Reuters
CLACKAMAS, Oregon | Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:56pm EST
CLACKAMAS, Oregon (Reuters) - A masked gunman who opened fire in a crowded Oregon mall in the middle of the holiday shopping season, killing two people and wounding a third before taking his own life, appears to have acted alone in a random rampage, police said on Wednesday.
Investigators identified the man behind Tuesday's shooting as Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, who they said had no significant criminal history and acted without any obvious warning, though his Facebook page indicated an affinity for guns and alcohol.
Roberts' page on the social media site lists "shooting" as one of his interests but offers no clues that he may have been preparing for a shooting spree.
"I'm the conductor of my choo choo train," he wrote on the site. "I may be young but I have lived one crazy life so far. My friends are my family and I don't think that will ever change."
Portland-area television station KGW published on its website a note of apology it attributed to Roberts' mother, Tami Roberts, saying she had "no understanding or explanation" for his behavior, adding that it was "so out of his character."
The weapon used in the shooting was an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, which the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said was stolen the day before from an acquaintance of the killer.
Roberts was also believed to be carrying several fully loaded ammunition magazines when he walked into the Clackamas Town Center in the Portland suburb of Happy Valley and moved swiftly to a food court to start shooting, authorities said.
Two people were killed - Steven Mathew Forsyth, 45, of suburban West Linn, a father of two who owned a business in the mall, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, of Portland.
Kristina Shevchenko, 15, was wounded but managed to stagger away from the food court to the lower level of the mall, where she was found. She was in serious condition in an Oregon hospital.
But the carnage likely was limited because the gun jammed, although the suspect managed to get it working again before he moved downstairs and shot himself, Sheriff Craig Roberts told a news conference.
He also said the casualty count was curtailed because the estimated 10,000 shoppers in the mall "kept a level head" for the most part in swiftly leaving the building.
MOTIVE UNCLEAR
Authorities said they remained baffled about what prompted the violence, the latest in a spate of U.S. gun rampages this year including a deadly July shooting at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Colorado that killed 12 people.
Sergeant Adam Phillips, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said investigators were not aware of any signs that Roberts was preparing to act as he did.
"Every indicator is that he acted solely alone in carrying out this heinous and tragic crime," he said.
Detectives contacted several members of the suspected gunman's family as they began their investigation, but authorities gave little information about Roberts' personal background, employment history or education.
A photograph of Roberts displayed by police showed a young man with longish, straight black hair, a light mustache and goatee, and ring-sized discs in each of his pierced earlobes.
Roberts' Facebook page offered few additional insights into the man suspected in the murderous rampage.
He described himself in a brief biography as "a bit of an adrenaline junkie," and as "a pretty funny person that takes sarcasm to the max." Professing an independent streak, Roberts said: "I'm the kind of person that is going to do what I want."
He starts out jokingly introducing himself as "Jake and I'm an alcoholic," then goes on to write that in addition to "hanging out with my friends" he likes to "maybe get a little drunk every now and then."
His profile includes a snapshot of a person firing a pistol at two outdoor targets, though the face is not visible because the photo was taken from over the subject's shoulder.
In addition to "shooting," he lists river rafting and camping among his interests. He also counts the cable television dramas "Dexter," about a serial killer, and "Breaking Bad," about a high school teacher who becomes a methamphetamine kingpin, among his favorites, along with "South Park."
(Additional reporting by Chris Francescani in New York and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Beech)
Follow continuing local coverage on CNN affiliates KPTV, KATU, KGW and KOIN. See photos from the scene
(CNN) -- The gunman shot
three people on the second floor of an
Oregon mall, then ran.
Shoppers hid behind racks as the man, wearing a
vest and a mask, ran down a corridor and to a back
hallway that led downstairs.
By
then, he likely heard the sirens as dozens of police
vehicles converged on the Clackamas Town Center
in Happy Valley.
He
then took his own life.
As details of Tuesday's mall shooting emerged, the question of motive remained unanswered.
At a news conference on
Wednnesday, investigators identified Jacob
Tyler Roberts, 22, as the lone suspect in the
shootings -- two of which proved fatal -- at the
suburban Portland mall.
Sheriff's investigators said there was no apparent
connection between Roberts and any of his victims.
The
fatalities were identified as Cindy Ann Yuille, 54,
and Steven Mathew Forsyth, 45.
The
incident unfolded during the afternoon as the gunman
moved quickly through the Macy's at the mall and
toward the food court on the second floor, where he
opened fire, the sheriff's office said.
The
arrival of police within a minute of receiving the
first calls of the shooting may have influenced the
gunman's ultimate course of action, Sheriff Craig
Roberts said.
The
gunman was wearing a load-bearing vest -- a
military-style garment designed to carry heavy
equipment, which some witnesses confused with a
bulletproof vest -- and was carrying a
semi-automatic rifle.
At one point, the rifle jammed but started working again, the sheriff said./p>
Kristina Shevchenko, 15, was taken to the
Oregon Health &
Science University Hospital, where she was
in serious, stable condition on
Wednnesday with a bullet wound to her chest,
her surgeon told reporters.
Shevchenko, who suffered a collapsed right lung and
injuries to her liver, underwent an hourlong
operation Tuesday night to remove bullet fragments
and was in the hospital's intensive care unit, Dr.
Laszlo Kiraly said.
He said he was optimistic that she would recover fully but added that she was in shock and at risk for complications, including infection. "She's a very brave young woman," he said, adding that she was awake and talking to her family.
FFurther surgeries will focus on closing her wounds
"and getting her to heal properly," he said. "I
would anticipate that she would be with us for about
a week or so."
Friends of the gunman said they were shocked when
they heard who the shooter was.
"This is more than a tragic event, and my heart goes
out to everyone affected by it, but I also feel as
if the side of Jake that I remember needs to be
shared," said Erin Philpot, a friend of the shooter,
in an e-mail to CNN.
"He
was a very loved individual that always seemed as if
he had great intentions and a heart of gold. I know
that must be hard for people to
see/think/understand, but It's the truth. I don't
know what caused him to do such a horrendous,
terrible thing, but I do hope that somehow answers
will be available to us all."
Philpot, who attended middle school and high school
with Roberts, said he had recently broken up with a
girlfriend and was considering moving to Hawaii. "I
just had drinks with him in November, and he had
just moved into a new place and was totally stoked
about it," she said. "I can't believe he did this."
Jordan Salazar, who attended Milwaukie High School
in the Portland area with Roberts, said in an
e-mail, "He was a really nice guy, and it's
completely shocking he did this."
She
added, "He was a popular guy in high school and had
a lot of friends," she said. "I was pretty much in
shock with all of this."
Roberts attended Milwaukie High School for three
years but did not graduate, said Joe Krumm, the
director of community relations for North Clackamas
County School District. "Average talent, average
grades," Krumm said about Roberts, who was in a
mainstream program and had no record of discipline
issues or extracurricular activities.
Roberts then transferred to another district
and graduated in 2008 fromspan id="dtx-highlighting-item10" dtx-Highlight-BackgroundColor="yellow">
Oregon CCity High School, the school said in a
statement on its website that also talked about the
killings.
"This news is very shocking to those who knew Jacob
while at OCHS," the statement said. "He was known as
a soft-spoken and polite young man who was often
eager to be helpful. The motive for such a horrific
act is likely to remain a mystery to us all."
The families of the victims who died -- Yuille and Forsyth -- provided brief comments through authorities but asked for privacy as they mourn./p>
Yuille was remembered as "everybody's friend" who put others first.
Forsyth had two children, a great sense of humor and a zest for life, his family said.
DDuring the shooting, mall patrons said they had no
clue where the gunman would fire next.
Entire swaths of Clackamas Town Center became silent
except for the rifle blasts and screams. Even the
mall's Santa dropped to the ground.
"I thought I was going to die," mall employee David Moran said. "The gunshots were so loud, it was very scary. ... Kids were crying. Parents were crying, too."/p>
KKira
Rowland was holding her 6-month-old baby in Macy's
when the shots rang out.
"I
threw my baby into the stroller and just started
running, because everybody was screaming and
everybody just started to run," she said.
Inside Clackamas Town Center/a>
The gunman wore a hockey mask and jogged through Macy's wielding a rifle, a woman told CNN affiliate KOIN.
AAs
some panicked customers bolted for the exits, others
ducked under store counters or hid behind clothing
racks.
"I
am the shooter," he said as he ran through Macy's,
said witness and store employee Austin Patty.
As
the shooting started, Patty ran from the store,
warning all in earshot that a shooter was loose and
ordering them out of the store.
The sheriff's office said a rifle and a mask were recovered from the scene./p>
IInvestigators were reviewing surveillance footage to
get a better picture of what happened.
Erin
Quackenbush-Baker was with her grandmother and three
children at a kiosk in the middle of the mall when
she heard the shots.
"My
5-year-old was covering her ears and crying. I was
frantic to find a place to run, and I looked back --
my son in my stroller and glass is falling over us,"
she said. "The shots were getting closer."
She
added, "I felt like sitting ducks where we were."
Timeline: Worst mass shootings in U.S./a>
DDuring a brief halt in the gunfire, a man helped
hustle the family members into a cosmetics store,
where they hid for an hour "waiting to see if we
were going to be shot or not."
As
word spread that the shooter was moving from store
to store, customers at Sears burst into tears,
Christina Fisher told KOIN.
"We
were told to stand in a group by the top of the
escalators and stay away from the windows out of the
aisle. ... We stood there for probably a good 20
minutes," she said. "All of the sudden, somebody
came through with a radio, yelling, 'Get down!' "
As
the mayhem unfolded, some customers watched
television reports about the shooting from inside
the Sears entertainment center, Tylor Pedersen told
affiliate KGW..
Antonio Charro spotted a wounded woman near a cell
phone store and tried to help.
"She
had apparently been shot in the chest, and I
couldn't get her turned over to help her," said
Charro, who had been shopping at the mall with his
daughters. "There was no one around. She wasn't
breathing."
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said about
10,000 people were in the mall at the time.
No
law enforcement officers fired any shots when they
arrived, sheriff's Sgt. Adam Phillips said.
The 1.4 million-square-foot mall remained
closedspan id="dtx-highlighting-item12" dtx-Highlight-BackgroundColor="cyan">
Wednnesday as investigators looked for clues
about the attack.
Rowland said she's grateful she got distracted while
shopping and didn't venture farther into the mall.
"I
think if I hadn't stopped to smell that perfume,
that maybe me and my baby wouldn't be here today."
CNN's Meridith Edwards, Catherine E. Shoichet, Cristy Lenz, Chandler Friedman, Michael Martinez, Tom Watkins and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report./p>