Man comes face-to-face with shooter
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - Rok Sang Kim feels lucky to be home with his family after locking eyes with a man who opened fire at a local mall.
Tuesday's shooting at the Clackamas Town Center left three people dead - one of them the shooter who turned the gun on himself, police said.
Kim said he ran right into the shooter while he was recycling boxes from his store in the mall. He said at first he thought it was a joke. That's because the shooter was wearing a white hockey goalie mask with eye holes in it and holding what Kim initially thought was a toy assault rifle.
"First thing I thought is what's going on? I mean, Halloween is over," Kim said.
But something wasn't right about the masked person, who Kim said appeared to be a teenager between 16 and 18 years old.
"His eyes were like a little bit worried," Kim said. "And then he looked at me like this (motions to his face with a serious look) through the mask. So I was a little bit scared and feeling strange."
Kim said he told the young man "no, don't do that." But then the shooter turned the rifle away from Kim and went down a flight of stairs to the lower part of the mall.
Kim said he believes the shooting had already started before he came face to face with the shooter, because he noticed a lot of people were pouring out of the mall in a hurry.
Why the shooter chose not to open fire on Kim is anyone's guess.
"I don't know why," Kim said.
KATU,
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I think refeering the shooter as a "Man" is being awefully nice. I have some four letter names that would "Suffice." much better....
I for one am very glad Mr. Kim survived. Â Glad he had the presence of mind to tell the shooter not to shot him. Â Bless you Mr.Kim.
Awfully solipsistic of Mr. Kim, Where was God with his divine intervention for the two that died? God's will is a peculiar argument, if it can be even considered an argument. If this was God's plan, why didn't he just have the shooter kill himself? If indeed this is the work of a god then this would be no god I would wish to worship, provided I was the type to subscribe to any faith.
If God directly intervened in everythiing, we would be robots. Instead, we are subject to natural laws that determine that most of the time we come out fine, but often we don't. It's part of the human condition. It is man who determines what happens on Earth. God's laws put us in charge. You can not blame God for what we do. We know better, but we do things anyway -- like making assault weapons and allowing them to fall into the hands of anyone who wants them. In order to have the power of wisdom, we have to also have the capacity for great stupidity!
Its a fable my friend. Just like all the 3000 other creation myths that you don't happen to subscribe too. Its enchanting to hear the double talk though - its what snatches up credulous.
@OliverNicholas We Christians understand that bad things happen to good and bad people because we live in a sinful, fallen world. A basic study of the bible will clear up your misunderstanding of the nature of God. His "plan" was for us to live in harmony in the garden of eden. We chose to break the rules and are now paying the bill (death). But He sent His son to save the world from everlasting death if we come to Him. I chose Him because He has a much better life planned for me after this trying life on earth. God did not choose this for us. Thank-you for letting me respond.
@Bill Jones Question. Satan rebelled because of jealousy over man's dominion. God cast Satan to hell. How did Satan overthrow gods will and escape to paradise to tempt eve with the fruit from the forbidden tree? Two options here: God is fallible or God knowingly allowed evil dominion or influence over man.
@Bill Jones What you smokin??
 @OliverNicholas It is amazing how many people do not understand the simple concept of free will.
@Stephen I understand perfectly fine. Your god supposedly gave us all free will, and we have no choice on the matter - makes perfect sense :)
I would like to know how they matched the suspect to the shooting? DNA wise, fingerprints? I read some disturbing stuff saying that the shooter was ginger haired http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/14p07n/shots_fired_in_a_mall_outside_portland_or_shooter/c7f89r2 and another about a 4Chan thread saying that shooter could've framed a victim. I just hope that they have concrete evidence and that the shooter isn't on the loose like some claim. Very scary. Thanks Katu for not disclosing the suspect's address like Huffingtonpost. Did they check for DNA in the mask?
 @Blessed Mum 4chan routinely runs hoaxes like this anytime there's a major event that has everyone in a tizzy.  Redditors typically repost it and run with it.
 @Blessed Mum First of all DNA processing takes MUCH longer than 24 hours.Â
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As strange as it sounds, but that would have been supercool. I wish the headline read, Shooter gets off one round, misses person then is taken down with one shot from a local gang member.
 @BREAKING NEWS !!! yes. why don't they do something good for once
This Christmas will be the best Christmas he has ever had.
God gave this man a chance to live, for him and his family, and his Christmas will more like be Thanksgiving.
 @becky You can't state this without saying that God decided to not let two innocents live for their family.  If you're going to attribute God to various events you can't pick and choose only the ones that end happily.
@Scorcho @becky Like I wrote above:Â We Christians understand that bad things happen to good and bad people because we live in a sinful, fallen world. A basic study of the bible will clear up your misunderstanding of the nature of God. His "plan" was for us to live in harmony in the Garden of Eden. We chose to break the rules and are now paying the bill (death). But He sent His son to save the world from everlasting death if we come to Him. I chose Him because He has a much better life planned for me after this trying life on earth. God did not choose this for us.
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@ScallywagNYC A lot of time with these guys what they wear is more about the theatrics of it. They want to impart additional fear in people by looking they way they do. The camo is of course useless in a mall environment. The mask, useless since these guys almost always intended on dying and not fleeing, so why hide his identity? Glove are pointless for the amount of shooting he did. I also bet that the body armor was actually just a tactical vest, but that's just speculation.
I wish this had not happened here.. I don't think i want to go to that mall again.. I hide in my house most of the time other than work and I don't want to go out anymore.. My shopping will be online for now on.. This type of thing is getting far too frequent.. I'm not alone with these thoughts..  Crazy world now..
 @dougrpdx The world has ALWAYS been crazy! Its just more publicized now. Dont be afraid to live your life, we all die sometime. Dont be a shut in, its just plain unhealthy. I know, i spent time as a shut in.Â
 @dougrpdx Actually there has only been one shooting in a mall this entire season across America, as far as I can tell.  Millions of people go shopping and only 2 have died this year so, calculate your risks a little more realistically and you don't have to worry so much.
 @dougrpdxÂ
Not to worry. These types of incidents are rare and the damage is minimal.
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Now if you compare iatrogenic deaths to incidents like this then you would never go to a doctor again. In the US iatrogenesis is the 3rd or 4th leading cause of death and the number one cause of preventible death.
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So go to the mall and stop going to your doctor. The odds are excellent surviving the mall but not so good going to the doctors.
 @dougrpdx I think we should all go to that mall when it is open again and bring flowers, scatter rose petals, bring chocolate to all the workers who were there that day and shower them with love and a sense of community and support. They need it and so do we.
@dougrpdx Shopping online now, that's safe. Just don't fall in the bathtub or down the stairs.Â
 @dougrpdx Well, it's either that or Lloyd Center, and Lloyd isn't exactly known for being free of gunfire. I go there occasionally. It's horrible and it's scary, but holing up in your house will do you no good to be honest. This could have happened anywhere, and while it seems frequent, it's really not all that common when you look at the greater scheme of things. MOST people are not psychotic murderers. It's a select few who do these sorts of things. I'd rather live my life doing what I want than live in fear of getting shot by a stranger. Then again, I guess surviving cancer will do that to a person.
 @s.c.h.  @dougrpdx "It's horrible and it's scary,"
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What with all the monsters and bullets and children running around....Santa, the food court. So many people have died at Lloyd Center mall in the last ten years. There must have been...what... three?
 @Playanekes  @s.c.h.  @dougrpdx LOL Play. I get your sarcasm. As a frequent shopper at Lloyd Center currently and a former worker there (in the medical offices on the 3rd floor), I don't find it scary or horrible at all. In fact, I find Lloyd to be a warm and inviting mall. Yes, it's had crime. So has Washington Square, downtown, West Linn, Beaverton, etc. Crime can be anywhere at anytime. If you choose to label a place as dangerous, that is more your fear then reality. I have lived in North Portland for most of my life. I even attended Jefferson High School. Both have been labeled as "bad areas". Pfft. I got a wonderful education at Jefferson and have lived safely in this area even during the years when it wasn't at its best. I lived In Beaverton for a while also and, honestly, saw more crime there then I have in total here. I have not once been afraid walking in this area or living here. Bad things happen in life. Sometimes it's just accidental or it can be caused by a bad person or bad people. This is life. You can either move forward past fear or let it consume you. That is up to you. As for me, I will still be a patron of Clackamas Mall  or Lloyd Center as well as any other place. A place isn't responsible for crime. People are.Â
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 @s.c.h.  @dougrpdx Everyone who hasn't read it should check out "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker. You will feel less afraid and much more clear about assessing when you really are getting into danger or  you are not.  Media bends/misconstrues  our perceptions about what is really a threat. Best useful book you will ever read. I promise.