Kristina Shevchenko was one of at least three people shot when a man wearing what appeared to be a hockey mask opened fire with a rifle at the crowded Clackamas Town Center in the Portland suburb of Happy Valley....
Witnesses heard the gunman saying, "I am the shooter," as he fired rounds from a semi-automatic rifle inside the Clackamas Town Center, a popular suburban mall several miles from downtown Portland.From December 12, 2012 Reuters:
He said authorities have no idea of the motive of the gunman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and appears to have had no connection to the victims.Gee, what do you think the chances are that this is another consequence of deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill? As a general rule, random attacks in public places followed by suicide, are usually done by people with severe mental illness problems who either refused treatment, or failed to get it when they asked for it. Someone should write a book about this problem.
UPDATE: From December 12, 2012 Los Angeles Times: he stole the AR-15 rifle, which may explain the jam that probably saved some lives. Suspect was 22, a very typical age for schizophrenia to manifest itself. No criminal record.
The mall is a gun-free zone so it was safe. For the shooter.
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