6:05 p.m. | Updated About 10,000 people were inside the Clackamas Town Center mall in suburban Portland, Ore., on Tuesday when a gunman, identified on Wednesday as 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts, began shooting in the food court around 3:30 p.m.
As my colleagues Kirk Johnson and Serge F. Kovaleski report, two people, Steven M. Forsyth, 44, a mall business owner, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, a hospice nurse, were killed and a 15-year-old girl was seriously injured before Mr. Roberts killed himself. The police said that he did not know either victim and that there was no known motive.
On his Facebook page, Mr. Roberts, who worked in a sandwich shop, describes himself as an “alcoholic†and “adrenaline junkie.†He includes multiple photos, including one of a man at target practice. He says that he is a “pretty funny person that takes sarcasm to the max. I'm the kind of person that is going to do what I want. There is no reason for another person to tell you what to do, I'm the conductor of my choo choo train…â€
On Facebook, some of his high school friends and a former baseball coach expressed shock tha t he was identified as the gunman. “I am very saddened for all involved and especially the victims,†said Kelly Shafer, a former baseball coach of Mr. Roberts from Oregon City. “I just wanted everyone to know he was not all bad.â€
Danie Hayes wrote on Facebook that she attended the junior prom with Mr. Roberts. “What he did was horrifying,†she said. “But everyone needs to know that he was never a mean person. I don't know what was going through his mind when he did this.â€
Another childhood friend, Brooke Alexis Baker posted on Facebook that she never thought Mr. Roberts “could be capable of doing something like this. I have no words for why this happened. I'm sorry for the people he killed and injured and my heart goes out to everyone who is suffering.â€
Inside the shopping mall in Happy Valley, people took out their cellphones and captured video and posted updates in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Daniel Martinez's Twitter stream notes what he bought his mother for Christmas while shopping at the mall when his posts took a horrifying turn.
Shopping :)
Bought a coach bag for my mom :)
Gun shooting at Clackamas town center. We are locked into the stores.
@ThirstyLion88 the man started firing behind me
I was at the Clackamas Town Center Shooting. I was in the food court and just had Jumba juice and sat down. http://t.co/m57fxYT3
Map of Mall for shooting in Portland #ClackamasShooting http://t.co/ko02SnE6
On Twitter, shoppers described running for their lives and how store employees ushered some shoppers to safety in a back room.
I JUST GOT OFF WORK AND THERE IS A SHOOTING AND PEOPLE ARE SCREAMING AND RUNNING AND GUNS WHAT IS GOING ON I AM CRYING THIS IS SERIOUS
In the back room of a salon at clackamas town center because there was a mall shooting. Wow. I'm safe fyi.
Shooting in the middle of clackamas town center. I'm stuck in the back room of build a bear!
#clackamasshooting one shot fired and then a second one came. I see everyone in the hall running and screaming.
In a video interview, KGW News talked to the mall's Santa Claus.
Video: Mall ‘Santa' describes hitting the floor as bullets flew. http://t.co/lRN7skNq #ClackamasShooting http://t.co/H2mZkspi
John Canzano, a sports columnist for The Oregonian who happened to be at the mall when the shooting occurred, shared live updates from inside the Town Center.
I am at Clackamas Town Center where panicked people are running from mall. Witness tells me s hots fired.
Multiple agencies here. Lots of very emotional people. Tough to get details but one person tells me it was an automatic weapon
Nordstrom employee tells me the shots were fired near the escalator by the food court. Automatic weapon.
Mall employee tells me security ordered cages down for all stores.
Pray.
On Wednesday, the family of a 15-year-old girl who was injured and in serious condition set up a Facebook page for the shooting victims.
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