Teen kills eight in US mall rampage
Friday, 7 December 2007
OMAHA, Nebraska, Dec 6 (AFP): A teenager who wanted to die "famous" shot dead eight Christmas shoppers with an assault rifle at an Omaha shopping mall before killing himself.
Robert Hawkins (19) left a suicide note in which he explained the latest shooting rampage to stun the United States, police said, adding that two of the five people wounded in Wednesday's shooting were in critical condition.
Employees and shoppers fled the mall or locked themselves inside stores after hearing dozens of shots from the upscale Von Maur department store at the Westroads Mall.
Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren said the shooting appeared to be "very random and without provocation."
He identified the shooter as Robert Hawkins, 19, and said he was armed with an SKS assault rifle.
"We believe there was one shooter and one shooter only," he said.
"We do have a (suicide) note. I can't describe the contents of this note, but it does appear this incident was premeditated."
Robert Hawkins (19) left a suicide note in which he explained the latest shooting rampage to stun the United States, police said, adding that two of the five people wounded in Wednesday's shooting were in critical condition.
Employees and shoppers fled the mall or locked themselves inside stores after hearing dozens of shots from the upscale Von Maur department store at the Westroads Mall.
Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren said the shooting appeared to be "very random and without provocation."
He identified the shooter as Robert Hawkins, 19, and said he was armed with an SKS assault rifle.
"We believe there was one shooter and one shooter only," he said.
"We do have a (suicide) note. I can't describe the contents of this note, but it does appear this incident was premeditated."