Gunman used stolen AR-15 in mall
The 22-year-old wore hockey mask, vest filled with extra ammunition.
CLACKAMAS, OrE. — Authorities said Wednesday that the gunman who fatally shot two people at an Oregon shopping mall before killing himself sprayed dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic rifle and had been carrying several magazines filled with extra ammunition during the attack amid thousands of holiday shoppers.
The gunman, identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, was also wearing what authorities called a “hockey-style mask” and was outfitted with a loadbearing vest that allowed him to carry more ammunition.
Sheriff Craig Roberts, of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, said Roberts had no known connection to his victims and had apparently fired randomly with an AR-15 rifle.
“We don’t understand the motive for this attack,” said Roberts, who called the shooting a “horrific act of violence.”
The dead were identified as Steve Forsyth, 45, a youth sports coach who owned a small business in the mall, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, who was apparently shopping.
A third person, Kristina Shevchenko, remained hospitalized in serious condition with at least one bullet wound, authorities said. Her age was not released.
Roberts had no known prior criminal history, authorities said, although the AR-15 he used in the shooting had been recently stolen from someone Roberts knew. The theft had been reported Tuesday, hours before the attack.
Police have said that none of the more than 100 law enforcement officials who responded to the popular mall Tuesday had fired a shot.
At least 10,000 people were in the mall at the time of the shooting, police said.