Sheriff: Heroes stepped up during deadly mall shooting
CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said there were many who jumped into action to help Tuesday afternoon when a lone gunman opened fire in a crowded mall, killing two and seriously injuring another.
The shooter then took his own life by apparently shooting himself, police said.
"We had some true heroes stepping up," Roberts said during a news conference nearly five hours after the first shots were reported at the Clackamas Town Center at about 3:30 p.m.
Some emergency room nurses and a physician were at the mall when the gunfire erupted, and they immediately went to work to provide care to the wounded, he said. Others, including everyday citizens, also worked to help get the 10,000 people out of the mall.
"We have a young lady at the hospital fighting for her life right now," Roberts said about the seriously injured victim who was taken to the hospital. She was listed in serious condition Tuesday night.
Roberts did not offer specifics about individuals who provided on-scene help.
"The mall is supposed to be a place that we can all take our families. ... These things aren't supposed to happen," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families."
While police say they believe the gunman killed himself and no law enforcement officers fired a shot, Roberts said responding officers handled the situation admirably.
"I'm really proud of all the different agencies that came together to really step up and put their lives on the line," he said, adding that there were law enforcement officers at the mall minutes after the first reports of shots.
Four SWAT teams were quickly deployed, "basically to hunt down this guy in the mall," Roberts said.
At the height of the terror, over 100 officers from nearly every government agency – from the city to the federal levels – responded.
Now in the aftermath, the focus for police turns to the investigation. The job for investigators is to sort through the speculation to find the facts. It will be complicated due in part to the size of the crime scene – a mall which is about 1.4 million square feet.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Phillips said investigators will work to sift through dozens of interviews with witnesses to create the most complete picture as possible as to what happened.
"There is a lot of speculation going on about what happened (and) what the circumstances were," he said. "Active shooter situations and tense situations like this get perceived many ways. ... We as law enforcement officers – our job is to collect all that information and make it into a cohesive idea of what actually occurred."
Police have tentatively identified the shooter, an adult male, but Phillips said they would not release his name until they were 100-percent sure of his identity.
Police also have not released the names of the victims, pending family notifications.
Because the investigation is in its infancy, Phillips said he could not delve into what type of weapon the shooter used or how many shots were fired.
"We're (the sheriff's office) are going to report on what we actually know, not speculation," he said.
He said the belongings that were left behind by mall patrons are secure, and the sheriff's office and Clackamas Town Center officials will set up a process on how they can be retrieved. He urged patience, however, because other aspects of the tragedy are of higher priority.
Phillips encouraged those who were witnesses and had not been interviewed to contact the sheriff's office at 503-655-8211. Or they can go to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office website for more information.
Teams were still searching every inch of the mall late Tuesday night to ensure everyone is out and that the mall is safe. The mall will remain closed through Wednesday, police said.
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 @HarryJuku You and those idiots Ginny Burdick and Earl Blumenauher probably get along pretty well. Morons...just freakin morons.
 @HarryJuku The only person in possession of a gun in that mall, yesterday, that caused harm, was the shooter. He even died by his own bullet. He is 100% to blame. He's the only one with blood on his hands, aside from those that tried to save his victims. I'm certain in the end it will be learned that he had no opinion one way or the other about gun control. That he had no regard for any law that you or I abide by. That he had no political affiliation. Just a sick individual that would have used whatever available means he could to kill and maim. Pipe bomb. Bucket of acid. Crossbow....
 @HarryJuku Look at that, Harry. Not a word about a freakin' hippie pacifist gun-tugging liberal piece of trash using ANYTHING to control the situation. All they do is absorb bullets and point the finger at law-abiding citizens.
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You can call gun owners all the names you want, fool, but the question you still can't answer is, What Are You Going to Do About It?
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Insults don't hurt me.Â
 @Playanekes  @HarryJuku If you're law-abiding, I don't point my finger at you. I'm definitely one of your hippie pacifist liberals (and, I suppose, based on your definition, piece of trash) but even I have my limits on what I consider acceptable behavior.
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Insults don't hurt me, either. But I'd appreciate not being insulted. And you are quickly moving this supportive story's forum into a misguided direction.
 @CTWU I'm a democrat, believe in Peace not war, don't consider myself to be a hippie, and I don't think of people who are self-proclaimed hippies to be trash. I agree though, name-calling and finger pointing is taking away from the positive influence of the story.
@HarryJuku Town center mall Law No Guns
 @Lucky13  @HarryJuku I'd much rather that someone who has a weapon with them take it into the mall (or any other place that says you can't carry it) than leave it in their car where it could easily be stolen and used to commit other crimes. Our laws and rules are rather convoluted.
 @CTWU  If they ask (post rules) and you do not comply, you are willingly guilty of criminal trespass. It is private property and your permission to pass is full subject to their restrictions. (Private Property 101)
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 @pdxd They can most certainly ask. They cannot compel you to comply unless you go through metal detectors, use other screening devices, or search you and your belongings personally. And, yes, they have the right to do all of that, as well.
 @CTWU It's a privately owned building, they can ask you to leave your gun in the car, to keep your clothes on, or to not walk barefoot or use profanity. Just the same that your neighbor has the right to ask you to remove your shoes before entering their home.
 @Lucky13  @HarryJuku LOL! They should pass no-murder ordinances at the mall too.  If they just outlawed homicide.
 @Playanekes  @Lucky13  @HarryJuku oh, they forgot about banning murder!
A CHL doesn't mean you have to go play hero. Most CHL holders carry to protect themselves and their familes.Â
"Police have tentatively identified the shooter, an adult male, but Phillips said they would not release his name until they were 100-percent sure of his identity."
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Hmmmm, curious. Â
 @ThePosterFormerlyKnownAsPhredE Why curious, FormerPhred? If the name were prematurely released -- before police are able to make contact with either the shooter's next of kin or to obtain search warrants to go to this person's home address to assess whether or not booby traps or something else were set up to happen next -- it could indirectly result in more innocent people being hurt (thinking more along the lines of the booby trap situation like in Colorado). I think they're buying time to be able to research the person, their background, their living situation, and to see if there might be other public health or safety concerns that need to also be neutralized before releasing any names. I also think that's prudent, given the circumstances.
I watched the press conference and applaud Sgt. Phillips for not perpetuating speculation by sticking to the facts or answering "I don't know at this time and will not speculate".
 @Broadway97209 I was quite impressed by his work today as well. He made a few tiny mistakes, but clarified each time. I was really impressed.
Thank you to all of the heroes, paid, recognized, or completely unknown, for stepping up and taking action. Clearly the action of these individuals saved many lives today. Thank you... and, yet, those words seem so hollow and not nearly with enough admiration.
 @CTWU I agree. Good job! I followed this on the the scanner and those first Clackamas officers were clearly shook up by the whole thing; lots of confusion and questions back and forth on the radio and snapping at each other a bit, but they were handling it and sweeping thru from area to area and doing what needed to be done. Once Portland police arrived to help and then the feds, it got smoother, but for a relatively small police force in a unique situation they did a great job!
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Same goes for the average citizens we are starting to hear more from, helping others get out of harms way and really stepping up to the plate.
 @pdx10 I heard the early scanner feeds, too. While there was certainly a disorganized confusion, it still had purpose. I suspect some of the confusion comes from other police agencies and first responders using the Clackamas system. They have different command codes and rules for using communication systems.
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I have to say, though, it seems this is one time where training seemed to really help out. Having ambulances ready to go (didn't hurt, of course, that Kaiser Sunnyside was right down the road) to take the injured away, establishing triage and communication systems with the people inside, and on and on really helped.
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And, it seems, the mall having many exit points helped in favor of those able to flee on their own (or help others to the nearest exit points), as well.
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Sadly, looks like we need even more inter-agency training to, hopefully, make any catastrophic event flow more smoothly and so that the first responders know how to communicate and with whom.
 @CTWU What CTWU said.