JOE'S NOTE: Westroads is a posted "Gun Free" zone. Authorities were looking for the gunman but officials say the threat has been stabilized. It is not clear if the person who shot himself was the gunman. Law enforcement officers converged on the scene. The police helicopter circled overhead. Members of the Emergency Response Unit were on the scene with guns drawn. One witness told us she heard approximately 12 gunshots. Other witnesses told us they heard at least that many shots fired. "Connie", a Westroads shopper we spoke with on the phone, tells us she heard the shots on the third floor of the mall. She said she hid and waited until the gunfire stopped and then crawled out of the building. The person with the self-inflicted gunshot wound, was found dead near the Von Maur customer service department. Two people were taken into custody near a bus stop but it was not clear if those men were connected to the shootings. A witness tells us that the shooter pointed a gun over a third-floor railing in the mall and opened fire. That witness says one person was shot in the head. Two busloads on witness were gathered together as authorities tried to figure out what happened. Eric, the father of a woman who is a security guard at the mall, got word around 3 p.m. that his daughter was not injured in the incident. She has been on the job for about a year and told her parents she saw one of the victims get shot. "She called my wife. She was pretty upset," Eric told us. Witness Chuck Wright says, "I heard this bang, bang, bang. And immediately I just froze." He says, "As I backed off, I heard bang, bang, again." Wright says he heard a total of 12 to 15 shots fired. "It was just panic. Nobody knew what was going on," Wright said. Wright told us the shootings appeared to be random
JOE'S UPDATE: The "ban guns" crowd has already started to bleat
JOE'S UPDATE: WOWT reports one dead of a self-inflicted GSW... Story to come
JOE'S UPDATE: KETV now reports 9 dead.
JOE'S UPDATE: Some dispute about Westroads being posted "no guns." No dispute, there is a big sign inside every mall entrance that says "MALL RULES" and item 3-4 is "no weapons" which is enough under state law to qualify. I have seen the sign. I will stop in and take a pic whenever the mall reopens.
KETV link
WOWT link
Several people were shot this afternoon when a gunman opened fire in the Westroads Mall. The shots rang out shortly before 2 p.m. at the Von Maur store. At least one person is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.
The mall was locked down was the initial shooting report came out but several people got out of the building shortly after the gunfire and many others followed.
Up to five people were reportedly shot. There was a report of CPR being performed on one person.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Omaha mall shooting
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30 comments:
How can this be? This mall is a "gun free" zone, since it posts "No Guns" signs.
When will people learn that these "gun free" zones are just killing fields which make for a safe working environment for criminals?
My wife used to work there, luckily she does not anymore. We moved to CO a couple of years ago, but I would have asked her to quit when the no firearms signs went up at the mall.
There seems to be some dispute as to whether CCW is prohibited there...... either way, nobody there had the mindset, tools, and skillset to put the mad dog down......... so he had 2 minutes to kill as many as he could........ Kudos to OPD for the qiick response time.
There is no dispute. Inside the mall entrances is the "Rules of the Mall."
Number 3-4 is "No weapons of any kind permitted." which is equivalent to management saying no guns.
Thus, under state law, the mall is posted "No guns." It't just a small sign like Douglas Theaters.
Thus, under state law, the mall is posted "No guns." It't just a small sign like Douglas Theaters.
-Ah, that explains why I missed it. I'm sure I'll forget that you informed me and IF the chance ever occurs someone happened to see a weapon on me they could ask me to leave...
Thanks for all the updates
Does not sound like conspicuous notice to me http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/Docs/Forms/CCW_Rules_and_Regs.pdf
“Posted conspicuous notice” shall mean a clearly visible sign posted at each
public entrance to a place or premises open to the public which shall clearly
state that concealed weapons are not allowed in the place or on the premises.
A recommended format for the sign can be found in Section 018.04 of these regulations.
http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/Docs/Forms/CCW_Rules_and_Regs.pdf
http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/Docs/Forms/
CCW_Rules_and_Regs.pdf
ccw faq
http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/findfile.asp?id2=256
from the CCW faq page
--If my business wants to prohibit concealed handguns, do signs have to be placed on the parking lots as well as the buildings?
Your business should post signs at all public entrances to your building. Permit holders who visit your business do not violate the law by leaving their concealed weapon in their vehicle while visiting your business even if you post your parking lot.
--I notice signs on some buildings. Are these the only places I can’t carry my concealed handgun?
... There is no specific sign required but the Nebraska State Patrol strongly recommends that the standard sign be used for this purpose as it contains the language required by the statutes and it will be readily recognized. The recommended sign can be downloaded from the Nebraska State Patrol website
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a law-abiding citizen who legally carries a pistol, I simply avoid places that prohibit my entrance with their "No Weapons" signs.
It is worth noting that these heinous murders ONLY occur in 'Gun-free' zones.
As a good citizen with a concealed permit, I avoid these places where only a criminal will be armed.
Dear Jimbob86,
Until you have been under fire please refrain from stupid comments such as yours "nobody there had the mindset, tools, and skillset to put the mad dog down......... so he had 2 minutes to kill as many as he could" I have been in war zones and you don't just rush in and disarm people. You get down and asses the situation and pray to god you don't get hit.
http://www.ketv.com/news/14782867/detail.html
ABC News has confirmed with two sources that the gun used at Westroads Mall was an SKS-style assault rifle with two magazines taped together found at the scene. ABC reported that taping magazines together is a technique that allows the shooter to reload more quickly.
here come the Nebraska push for "assault rifle" ban
I also think we should ban tape It facilitates shooting rampages
in the official statement OPD Chief Thomas Werren noted that an sks was found on the teen
Dear Anonamouse:
"Unless you have been under fire...."
I HAVE been under fire. And when when the pucker factor is up, you will revert to your training. If you haven't trained, you won't do anything, except hide and lose control of normally voluntary body funtions. If you have trained(sufficiently), you still might lose control of bodily functions, but you can do the things you trained to do. I know from experience that your strenth and stamina increase, and fine motor skills deteriorate. Multitasking is impossible. Focusing on one thing is easy, often to the detriment of awareness of other, possibly more important things.
I'm not talking about rushing in and disarming anybody. What I am talking about is this: In most states, about 1% of people eligable to get a CCW permit get one. IF all those people Carried, and were allowed to carry anywhere(I'd bet $10 to a bucket of $hit that the West Roads Wacko picked the Von Maur Store BECAUSE there would be a lot of unarmed people there!)there would have been at least 2 or 3 people capable of cutting the POS' spree short on the scene, instead of letting him Expend All Ammo. It only takes one. Just.One.Person.
Send a note to every "No Guns" store you encounter: I have a concealed carry permit. If I am in your store, unarmed, and am injured or killed, what law firm do you use? My wife/son/survivors have been told to start the lawsuit at $10 million." Home Depot caved in about 30 hours after they caught grief from gun owners a year or so ago.
OldeForce
Another "gun free", I mean victim rich zone killing, so sad. Please citizens of the USA get your CC license and protect yourself! Remember when seconds count help is just minutes away.
This tragedy -- which of course is our fault, not the murderer's -- was clearly preventable . . . the signs should have been bigger.
Quit calling this a tragedy. A tragedy is a hurricane, a tornado, a flood, an accident or detrimental act of nature.
This was an atrocity. If we can't get the verbiage right to connote responsibility on the actor how do we expect the gun grabbers and hysterical weak sisters to understand our position that people should be able to defend themselves.
Quit equating this with tragedy. It was an atrocity.
I just sent the mall (http://www.westroadsmall.com/html/contactus.asp) this message: Congratulations on posting "no weapons allowed signs" in your mall. It appears that you effectively created a free fire zone. I hope that knowledge that you may have enabled this deranged murderer by keeping lawfully armed patrons away doesn't keep you awake at night.
From the quoted article:
"The mall was locked down was the initial shooting report came out but several people got out of the building shortly after the gunfire and many others followed."
Do I understand correctly that the mall's SOP in responding to reports of gunfire is to lock as many unarmed citizens inside with the gunman(/men) as possible? After Trolley Square Mall, is there any way this is not criminal negligence at best, and accessory to murder at worst?
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