In his own words: Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts

Sheriff Craig Roberts of Clackamas County wrote an open letter to his community in the wake of the shooting at Clackamas Town Center on Tuesday afternoon. His letter is published below in its entirety, which includes previously unpublicized details about what happened during the shooting:

On Tuesday, our community endured a horrific act of violence. A place that should be safe -- a place where I spend time with my own family -- was transformed into a living nightmare by an individual determined to commit mass murder.

Above all else, we must remember the two people who were tragically taken from us that day: Cindy Yuille and Steven Forsyth, as well as Kristina Shevchenko, who was wounded but is now receiving medical treatment. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers throughout this holiday season, and beyond.

That day was a nightmare, but those of us who work in public safety knew that it was a nightmare that might come true someday -- so we prepared for it. Listening from the command post, I was just so proud of how every member of the sheriff's office responded in this crisis -- implementing our established active shooter protocol. They acted with courage and professionalism, even while putting their own lives on the line.

At one point, we believed that the suspect was hiding in a service hallway, reloading his rifle. One of our hunter cells formed up outside the access door. Afterwards, a deputy on that team told me, "When I went through that door, I fully expected that I was going to be shot." He went through that door anyway.

We didn't do this alone. Without even being asked, police officers from other jurisdictions responded to the mall and deployed side-by-side with our deputies. Police chiefs in several neighboring cities said, "Send everybody!" while others stepped in to handle unrelated calls for service that we continued to receive during this emergency.

Along with their regional partners, Clackamas Fire District #1 arrived in force, fully prepared to render medical care if this turned into a mass-casualty situation. Leaders from the Portland Police Bureau, Oregon State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the scene, all with the same focus: saving lives.

In addition to the efforts of everyone in the public safety community, the people who work at Clackamas Town Center did a great job responding to this crisis. They had a lock-down procedure in place and they implemented it effectively. Also, the individual citizens caught up in this situation stayed calm, did their best to keep themselves safe and took care of each other.

I have been so moved over the past few days by all the stories of genuine heroism that I've heard: people helping complete strangers escape from the violence, employees stepping up to protect their customers, and most especially the courage of the medical professionals who put their own lives at risk in a desperate effort to save the victims of this tragedy.

Now, even while we mourn the loss of Cindy Yuilee and Steven Forsyth and hope and pray for Kristina Shevchenko to make a full recovery from her wounds, we are learning about a new outburst of violence in Newtown, Connecticut. Based on the initial reports we are getting, it appears that nearly 30 people have been killed, many of them children.

In the face of such horror, I think back to the motto of our organization: "Working together to make a difference."I believe that no matter how awful the circumstances, no matter how enormous the challenge, we are better equipped to deal with it if we all come together. We can build on each other's strengths, make up for each other's weaknesses and learn from each other's experiences and insight.

I hope that, as a community and as a nation, we come together around these tragedies and emerge better, stronger and more united for having endured them.

-- Craig Roberts, Clackamas County Sheriff