Jacob Tyler Roberts

Overview

Jacob Tyler Roberts committed suicide by shooting himself the same day of a shooting rampage at the Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Oregon, United States.

Timeline

• December 11, 2012 — A masked gunman opened fire in a crowded Oregon mall at the Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Oregon, killing two people and wounding a third before committing suicide.
• December 12, 2012 — Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office identified the shooter as 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts (born March 16, 1990). Police and officials discussed the investigation, the weapon used, and the uncertainty of motive.

The offence

On December 11, 2012, Roberts ran into the Clackamas Town Center wearing tactical clothing and a hockey mask and opened fire on shoppers and employees with a stolen Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. He fired as many as 60 shots.

Roberts had no connection to any victims, and it was believed to be a random act of violence. Investigators remained baffled about what prompted the violence and authorities said they were not aware of any signs that Roberts was preparing to act as he did. Sergeant Adam Phillips said: “Every indicator is that he acted solely alone in carrying out this heinous and tragic crime.”

Roberts had previously stolen an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle from an acquaintance of his. He arrived at the mall by car, parked it at the south side of the mall between a Macy's and a Chipotle store, and then ran into the mall through a department store at around 3:25 pm. About 10,000 people were inside the mall at the time.

People who first saw him run into the mall believed the tactical clothing and hockey mask was a paintball outfit and that the rifle was a toy. Standing in a large atrium, Roberts first opened fire at the mall's food court across from him at his left, after shouting, “I am the shooter!”

46-year-old father of two and youth sports coach Steven Forsyth, who was sitting by a rented kiosk and talking with his father on his cell phone, was shot in the head and killed.

The next person to be shot was 54-year-old shopper Cindy Ann Yuille, a hospice nurse and mother of two, who was fatally shot in the back by what appeared to be a “stray bullet.”

15-year-old Kristina Shevchenko, who was walking through the mall with her friend to reach the Town Center MAX station, was the final person to be shot; she received a bullet to the chest but survived and made it out of the mall, where she was treated for her gunshot wound.

At that point, hundreds of people fled the mall after hearing the gunshots, but many remained inside and dashed to cover. Roberts continued toward the food court, firing at 16-year-old employee Alina Pavlenko over 100 feet away, but he missed. He then turned back and headed toward a JCPenney store.

Roberts attempted to reload the AR-15 but was unable to do so because the weapon apparently jammed. During that time, Nick Meli, a concealed carry permit holder, drew his Glock 22 and took aim at Roberts but did not fire since there was an innocent person behind Roberts. Meli asserted that Roberts saw him and that this may have contributed to Roberts’ decision to commit suicide.

Roberts ran into a back storage corridor and encountered employee Rok Sang Kim, who had returned from recycling boxes and therefore hadn’t heard the gunfire. Roberts pointed the rifle at him but did not shoot him, instead running down a flight of stairs onto a lower floor. Roberts then committed suicide.

In the chaos of the first few minutes after the shooting, there were expectations of mass casualties. Police responded minutes later and spent hours searching the mall for hiding civilians, injured victims, and a possible second shooter. Dozens of ambulances arrived with expectations of treating dozens of wounded victims, but only Kristina Shevchenko was treated for a serious gunshot wound. By the next day, the mall was cleared of civilians but continued to remain under lockdown. It was believed Roberts targeted random people and did not have a specific target in mind.

Police said no law enforcement officers fired a shot. Sheriff Craig Roberts said the gun jam likely limited the casualty count, and he said the suspect managed to get it working again before moving downstairs and shooting himself.

Victims and injuries

Two people were killed in the shooting:

• Steven Forsyth — 46-year-old; shot in the head; killed.
• Cindy Ann Yuille — 54-year-old; hospice nurse and mother of two; fatally shot in the back; killed.

A third person was shot and survived:

• Kristina Shevchenko — 15-year-old; bullet to the chest; survived and was treated for her gunshot wound; later described as in serious condition in an Oregon hospital.

Other minor injuries were described:

• Several others suffered minor bruises and scrapes while fleeing.

Roberts also fired at:

• Alina Pavlenko — 16-year-old employee; she was over 100 feet away; Roberts fired at her but missed.
• Rok Sang Kim — encountered in a back storage corridor; Roberts pointed the rifle at him but did not shoot him.

Investigation

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office identified the shooter the day following the shooting. Police described the attack as appearing to have been carried out alone in a random rampage. Authorities said Roberts acted without any obvious warning, though his Facebook page indicated an affinity for guns and alcohol.

Police said they remained baffled about what prompted the violence. Investigators said they contacted several members of Roberts’ family but gave little information about his personal background, employment history, or education.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said police believed Roberts went into the mall with the goal of killing as many people as possible. Craig Roberts said on “Good Morning America”: “I believe, at least from the information that's been provided to me at this point in time, it really was a killing of total strangers. To my knowledge at this point in time he was really trying, I think, to kill as many people as possible.”

Police said they searched Roberts’ home and his car for other clues into his motive and that they believed Roberts stole the gun he used in the rampage from someone he knew.

Police also said they were still seeking information about what Roberts was doing in the days leading up to the shooting, and they said they would not release his name until they were 100-percent sure of his identity. Sergeant Adam Phillips 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.”

Officials also discussed that they secured belongings left behind by mall patrons and would set up a process for retrieval. Phillips encouraged witnesses who had not been interviewed to contact the sheriff's office at 503-655-8211 or the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office website.

Arrest / custody

Roberts was not taken into custody because he died by suicide during the incident.

Perpetrator

Roberts was identified as 22-year-old Jacob Tyler Roberts (born March 16, 1990), who lived in the Lents neighborhood in southeast Portland. He had tactical clothing and a hockey mask during the shooting and was carrying several fully loaded magazines and a stolen Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.

Background and education

Roberts was raised by his aunt. His biological mother died at the time of his birth, and he had never met his father. He attended Milwaukie High School in Milwaukie, Oregon for the first three years and later transferred during his senior year to Oregon City High School in Oregon City, Oregon, graduating in 2008. He attended Clackamas Community College in 2009.

Employment and plans

Two years prior to the shooting, Roberts worked at a gyro restaurant in downtown Portland. Roberts lived with a few roommates in a house ten minutes away from the shopping center. He had plans of joining the United States Marine Corps but abandoned them after a bicycle accident that broke his foot.

Prior to the shooting, Roberts had broken up with his girlfriend, sold his belongings, resigned from his job, and alleged that he was planning to move to Hawaii. Police said they believed Roberts stole the gun from someone he knew and they searched his home and car for clues into his motive.

Injury and “numb” period described by ex-girlfriend

Roberts’ ex-girlfriend, Hannah Patricia Sansburn, 20, told ABC News that Roberts was typically happy and liked to joke around, but abruptly changed in the week before the shooting. She said: “I don't understand,” and she said, “I was just with him. I just talked to him. I didn't believe it was him at all. Not one part of me believed it.”

Sansburn said Roberts quit his job at a gyro shop in downtown Portland and sold all of his belongings, telling her he was moving to Hawaii. She said he had purchased a ticket, and she described texting him about his flight: “oh, I got drunk and didn't make the flight,” and she said: “And then this happens... It makes me think, was he even planning on going to Hawaii? He quit his job, sold all of his things.”

Sansburn said the last time she saw him was last week and he “seemed numb.” She said: “I just talked to him, stayed the night with him, and he just seemed numb if anything. He's usually very bubbly and happy, and I asked him why, what had changed, and said 'nothing.' He just had so much he had to do before he went to Hawaii that he was trying to distance himself from Portland.”

She said the last message she sent Roberts was a text asking him to stay and saying she did not want him to leave. She said Roberts replied: “I'm sorry,” with a sad face emoticon.

Sansburn said she and Roberts had dated for nearly a year but broke up over the summer, and she said that throughout their relationship she had never seen him act violently or get angry. She said: “Jake was never the violent type. He didn't go out of his way to try to hurt people or upset people. His main goal was to make you laugh, smile, make you feel comfortable. I never would have guessed him to do anything like this ever,” and she said: “You can't reconcile the differences. I hate him for what he did, but I can't hate the person I knew because it was nothing like the person who would go into a mall and go on a rampage. I would never associate the two at all.”

Mother’s statement

Roberts’ mother, Tami Roberts, released a statement through a friend saying she had no explanation of her son’s behavior. The friend said: “Tami Roberts wishes to express her shock and grief at the events at Clackamas Town Center Tuesday,” and: “Tami raised Roberts, but was not his biological mother.” The friend said: “Tami Roberts wishes to express her shock and grief at the events at Clackamas Town Center Tuesday,” the friend noted that she had “no understanding or explanation” for his behavior, and said: “It's so out of his character.”

School and community description

Officials from the Oregon City School District were surprised. The district said: “This news is very shocking to those who knew Jacob while at OCHS. He was known as a soft spoken and polite young man who was often eager to be helpful. The motive for such a horrific act is likely to remain a mystery to us all.” The district statement said Roberts attended the school for only his senior year.

At Milwaukie High School, officials described Roberts as an “average student with average grades.” Joe Krumm, an administrator at the North Clackamas School District, said Roberts had no disciplinary record at the school but chose to transfer for his senior year to Oregon City High School and that Krumm did not know why he transferred.

Trial

No trial occurred because Roberts died the same day.

Appeals

No appeals occurred.

Outcome

Roberts died at the scene by suicide after the shooting. Police said investigators believed he acted alone in a random rampage and that no law enforcement officers fired a shot.

The mall was cleared of civilians by the next day but remained under lockdown. Police continued the investigation and sought witness information.

Aftermath

President Barack Obama mentioned other shooting rampages during a speech delivered the same day as the shooting and referenced the Clackamas Town Center attack.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said there were “true heroes stepping up” and he described emergency room nurses and a physician who were at the mall when the gunfire erupted. Craig Roberts said: “We have a young lady at the hospital fighting for her life right now,” and he said: “We have a young lady at the hospital fighting for her life right now,” during a news conference. He also said: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.” He said: “I'm really proud of all the different agencies that came together to really step up and put their lives on the line,” and he said “basically to hunt down this guy in the mall,” describing the deployment of SWAT teams.

Craig 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,” and he said there were law enforcement officers at the mall minutes after the first reports of shots.

Investigators discussed speculation and emphasized gathering information to create a cohesive understanding of what occurred. Sergeant Adam Phillips said: “There is a lot of speculation going on about what happened (and) what the circumstances were,” and said: “Active shooter situations and tense situations like this get perceived many ways. ...

Other details

Roberts’ Facebook page described him in a brief biography as “a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” and as “a pretty funny person that takes sarcasm to the max.” On his social media, he wrote: “I'm the conductor of my choo choo train,” and: “I may be young but I have lived one crazy life so far. My friends are my family and I don't think that will ever change.” He wrote: “I'm the kind of person that is going to do what I want.”

Roberts’ profile included a photo captioned by context showing an individual firing a pistol at two outdoor targets with the face not visible because it was taken from over the subject’s shoulder. He listed river rafting and camping as interests and listed favorite cable television dramas including “Dexter,” about a serial killer, and “Breaking Bad,” about a high school teacher who becomes a methamphetamine kingpin, along with “South Park.” He described himself at the start of a text as “Jake and I'm an alcoholic,” and said he liked to “maybe get a little drunk every now and then,” and he wrote about “hanging out with my friends.”

Sansburn said Roberts described himself on his Facebook page as an “adrenaline junkie,” and she said he believed: “I'm going to do what I want.”

Roberts posted a picture of himself firing a gun at a target, and Sansburn said there was graffiti in which the words “Follow Your Dreams” were painted over with the word “Cancelled.”