Motive sought in mall shooting

Gunman fired dozens of rounds before killing himself, police say

— 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 among thousands of holiday shoppers.

The gunman, identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, also was wearing what authorities called a “hockey-style mask” and was outfitted with a loadbearing vest, which allowed him to carry more ammunition.

Sheriff Craig Roberts, of the Clackamas County sheriff’s office, said Jacob 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 the sheriff, who called the shooting a “horrific act of violence.”

The dead were identified as Steve Forsyth, 45, a youthsports coach who owned a small business in the mall, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, who apparently was 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 criminal history, authorities said, although the AR-15 he used in the shooting had been stolen recently from someone Roberts knew. The theft had been reported Tuesday, hours before the attack.

By interviewing witnesses and viewing surveillance tapes, authorities say they now knowthat just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Roberts had parked his car, a 1996 Volkswagen Jetta, near an entrance to the sprawling Clackamas Town Center mall’s food court. He walked hurriedly inside with the assault rifle in hand.

As people in the food court ate, he opened fire, although it was unclear if any of the dead had been in the food court.

Roberts next moved quickly through the mall, although at one point the weapon jammed, authorities said. He was able to clear the rifle and begin calmly firing again - as many as 60 rounds. He killed himself in a mall corridor, authorities said.

Sheriff Roberts said searches were conducted at Jacob Roberts’ home in Portland and on his car, which was found in the parking lot of the mall. The sheriff declined to discuss what the searches may have turned up.

Police have said that none of the more than 100 law-enforcement officials who responded to the popular mall Tuesday had fired a shot.

Information for this article was contributed by Timothy Williams and Michael Schwirtz of The New York Times.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 12/13/2012

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