CNN: Mall shooter's suicide note: Now I'll be famous

[heyholetsgogrant]

Mall shooter's suicide note: Now I'll be famous

OMAHA, Nebraska (CNN) -- A 19-year-old gunman who police said killed eight people and then himself at a Nebraska mall left a suicide note predicting the shootings would make him famous, his landlord said.

Five other people were injured, and two of them were in critical condition, hospital officials said.

The shootings inside the Von Maur department store at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha sent panicked holiday shoppers fleeing for cover.

"It was just so loud, and then it was silence," said witness Jennifer Kramer, who hid behind a clothing rack. "I was scared to death he'd be walking around looking for someone else."

Police identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins of Bellvue, Nebraska.

Chief Thomas Warren of the Omaha Police Department called the shooting "premeditated," but said it "appears to be very random and without provocation."

Debora Maruca Kovac, Hawkins' landlord, said she found the suicide note after getting a phone call from Hawkins about 1 p.m., just minutes before the shootings. Video Watch landlord describe phone call from shooter »

"He basically said how sorry he was for everything," Maruca Kovac said of the note. "He didn't want to be a burden to people and that he was a piece of s--- all of his life and that now he'd be famous."

She said Hawkins was a friend of her sons and "reminded me of a lost puppy that nobody wanted." He came to live with her about a year and a half ago, telling her he could not stay with his own family because of "some issues with his stepmother."

She described Hawkins as well-behaved, although "he had a lot of emotional problems, obviously."

Maruca Kovac told the Omaha World-Herald that Hawkins showed her an SKS semiautomatic Russian military rifle the night before the rampage, but she wasn't alarmed.

The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. (2:42 p.m. ET).

Seven people were found dead at the scene by officers who arrived six minutes later; two others, a male and a female, died after being transported to Creighton University Medical Center, said Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist.

A Creighton spokeswoman said a second female underwent surgery and was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.

Three other people were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

One, a 61-year-old man who sustained a chest wound after being shot in the armpit, had surgery and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit Wednesday night, said hospital spokeswoman Maggie O'Brien.

The other two -- a 34-year-old man who was shot in the arm, and a 55-year-old man who fell and struck a clothing rack as he was trying to escape -- were treated and released, she said.

Warren said Hawkins was armed with an SKS assault rifle. His body, and the weapon, were found on the store's third floor, he said.

Source: CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/06/mall.shooting/index.html

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This is the rare case I advocate violence, where I think we should drag the corpses of these mass shooters threw the streets.

-Grant

[rincewind]

Mall shooter's suicide note: Now I'll be famous

Somebody really should have explained the difference between famous and infamous to this kid.

This is the rare case I advocate violence, where I think we should drag the corpses of these mass shooters threw the streets.

-Grant

And that would have succeeded in doing what exactly?

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

And that would have succeeded in doing what exactly?

Making people feel all tingly and warm inside?

[rincewind]

Making people feel all tingly and warm inside?

Nothing gets me randy like a mutilated corpse of a mass murderer being drug through the streets. Yeah baby!

[Burgold]

I think in honor of him we should close this thread and not give him what he wants.

or only talk about our sympathy for the victims and ignore him entirely.

[jrockster21]

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226426

[stevenaa]

The radio station I listened too this morning isn't saying his name. I wish all media outlest would do this. We need to take that away from people who commit these types of crimes.

[dwbiggs]

The kid obviously needed a girl friend.

[Dan T.]

Famous? Who?

[Burgold]

I was thinking of it and though I can dimly envision his face, I can't actually remember right now the name of the Virginia Tech monster.

Edit: Please don't name him. His name should die too.

[Corcaigh]

I was thinking of it and though I can dimly envision his face, I can't actually remember right now the name of the Virginia Tech monster.

Michael Vick?

[Zguy28]

And that would have succeeded in doing what exactly?

I would make us on par with the Somali's. :doh:

[GibbsFactor]

I blame MTV.

[Larry]

OK:

Mass murderer kills a bunch of people.

Leaves suicide note saying he wants to be famous.

CNN finds note, reads what the loonie's motive was.

CNN rushes note in front of camera. "Look what we got!" "I want photos of the goy. I want interviews with his neighbors. I want pictures of his parent's house. Get a helicopter so we can show live footage of his best friend going to the grocery store."

[heyholetsgogrant]

Somebody really should have explained the difference between famous and infamous to this kid.

And that would have succeeded in doing what exactly?

Meh, I'm just tired of these nut mass murders, trying to do whatever they can to get in the spotlight at the expensive of peoples lives. I cant imagine losing a kid losing to some nut job like this. BTW yeah dragging their corpse threw the street maybe a little harsh

-Grant

[@DCGoldPants]

OK:

Mass murderer kills a bunch of people.

Leaves suicide note saying he wants to be famous.

CNN finds note, reads what the loonie's motive was.

CNN rushes note in front of camera. "Look what we got!" "I want photos of the goy. I want interviews with his neighbors. I want pictures of his parent's house. Get a helicopter so we can show live footage of his best friend going to the grocery store."

yep. Exactly.

[jbooma]

OK:

Mass murderer kills a bunch of people.

Leaves suicide note saying he wants to be famous.

CNN finds note, reads what the loonie's motive was.

CNN rushes note in front of camera. "Look what we got!" "I want photos of the goy. I want interviews with his neighbors. I want pictures of his parent's house. Get a helicopter so we can show live footage of his best friend going to the grocery store."

what do you expect VT is still in everyones mind

look information is good and maybe we can put a stop to some of these killings before they happened in the future

it is clear we live in a society where a lot of troubled teens feel they can make a message by killing anyone

[Larry]

it is clear we live in a society where a lot of troubled teens feel they can make a message by killing anyone

Perhaps we should create a society where such feelings aren't correct.

(Yeah, I know. The answer isn't censorship. Not even self-imposed censorship. It's News, with a capital N. I'm just wishing The Media wasn't so enthusiastic about giving mass murderers soap boxes.)

[jbooma]

Perhaps we should create a society where such feelings aren't correct.

(Yeah, I know. The answer isn't censorship. Not even self-imposed censorship. It's News, with a capital N. I'm just wishing The Media wasn't so enthusiastic about giving mass murderers soap boxes.)

No it is called parenting and awareness from other friends and family.

Larry it doesn't matter all forms of media have an impact on ANYONE that has a mental issue to begin with that needs to be dealt with. News, Games, Music, Tv, etc... they are all typs of media that can have an impact on the human mind.

[aejm1400]

No it is called parenting and awareness from other friends and family.

QUOTE]

Did you know that people can put on fronts too? It's all nice pointing fingers and everything, but you can't always tell what people are thinking and how far they will go. This guy actually did receive state help, etc. as in the news stats. Unless you got the tech from minority report, how are you going to predict when someone's blowing smoke or really means they're going out to kill someone?

[StillUnknown]

The kid obviously needed a girl friend.

for what its worth.......according to reports, she broke up with him