http://www.infowars.com/militarized-police-respond-to-mall-shooting/
http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/dec/11/shooting-reported-clackamas-town-center/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/11/reports-gunfire-at-oregon-mall/
Militarized Police Respond to Mall Shooting
Militarized Police Respond to Mall Shooting
Will incident be used to savage second amendment in aftermath of Bob Costas controversy?
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
December 12, 2012
A photo shows armed, militarized police responding to a shooting at a mall in Portland, Oregon last night during which three people were killed, including the gunman.
The photo (click here for enlargement) was tweeted by Randy Rasmussen, a photojournalist with the Oregonian and also emailed to us by a reader who stated;
This picture was retweeted by the Oregonian this evening. They say it is a picture of “police patrolling the parking lot” so the picture looked weird to me. I zoomed in and as far as I can tell those are soldiers. They have the digital ACU pattern, helmets, rifles, and some even look to be wearing body armor. I was in the Oregon national guard and did a tour in Iraq so I’m pretty familiar with the get up. The only thing different is the helmets. No digital ACU covering. I also could not tell of any of them had unit patches on their left shoulders. My resolution is not good enough.I really just want this to get out. I’ve listened to you for years and have never seen this in real life. This is further strong evidence that the military and the police are merging In this country in a way that is not healthy for our liberties or what’s left of our republic.
Whether the men in the photo are police or National Guard, the image again illustrates how the militarization of America is becoming normalized off the back of shooting incidents like the one last night which occurred at the Clackamas Town Center mall, one of Portland’s busiest shopping centers with 185 stores and 20 cinema screens.
According to witnesses, the gunman wore camouflage fatigues, a bullet proof vest and a white hockey mask. He began firing rounds from a military-style rifle near the shopping mall’s food court. The shooter killed two people and badly injured another before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide.
Police almost immediately confirmed that there was only one shooter and were able to escort shoppers outside.
This tragic incident will undoubtedly be hijacked once again by gun control advocates and used to attack second amendment rights. The shooting occurred just a week after gun control became part of the national debate after NBC Sports announcer Bob Costas’ controversial comments when he called for more draconian gun control measures after the murder/suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins.
Gun sales recently hit record all time highs, primarily driven by fears that President Barack Obama will use his lame duck term to follow through on a promise he made to work “under the radar” on new gun control policy. Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson also recently announced a 48% surge in firearms sales and a quarterly profit of $21.2 million dollars.
Other readers emailed us to express concerns that shootings such as this and July’s ‘Batman massacre’ are greasing the skids for airport-style security and TSA agents conducting pat downs at large malls.
“All these watch towers may soon employ the shopping mall TSA into watching parking lots with guns and main door check points,” wrote one.
http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/dec/11/shooting-reported-clackamas-town-center/
Two dead, several injured in shooting at Clackamas Town Center
Shooter 'neutralized,' according to law enforcement officials
Originally published December 11, 2012 at 3:56 p.m., updated December 11, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
A mass shooting at Clackamas Town Center in Oregon has resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries, according to reports coming from the scene.
At 4:50 p.m., the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office reported that the shooter had been neutralized.
Spokesman James Rhodes said there were fatalities and multiple injuries but did not provide an exact count. He said there was at least one fatality, possibly more.
Rhodes did not say whether the shooter was one of the fatalities or explain what he meant by "neutralized."
The incident began about 3:30 p.m., when a gunman armed with an automatic weapon opened fire near the mall's food court.
An employee in the mall, Evan Walters, told KATU-TV that he and 10 others were in a shop near where the shooting occurred.
"It was kind of surreal because we hear pops and loud noises all the time because we're right here by the food court, but it's never been anything like that,” he said. “It was very definite gunshots. I think most all of us knew it was gunshots. There really was no rhyme or reason to them. There were many in a row."
Reporters on the scene are reporting up to 60 shots fired, possibly by an automatic weapon.
Kira Rowland told KGW-TV that she was shopping at Macy's with her infant when the shots started.
"All of a sudden you hear two shots, which sounded like balloons popping," Rowland told the station. "Everybody got on the ground. I grabbed the baby from the stroller and got on the ground."
Rowland said she heard people screaming and crying.
"I put the baby back in the stroller and ran like hell," Rowland said. "It was awful. It was shots after shots after shots like a massacre.
"It was just awful."
Holli Bautista, 28, said she was shopping in the Macy's for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard a two or three pops that sounded like firecrackers.
"I heard people running and screaming and saying 'Get out, there's somebody shooting'," she told The Associated Press. "It was a scene of chaos."
She said hundreds of shoppers and mall employees started running, and she and dozens of other people were trying to escape through an exit in the department store.
Witnesses are telling reporters that they saw a single gunman with a white mask and body armor.
Macy's employees Pam Moore and Austin Patty told the AP the shooter was short, with dark hair, dressed in camouflage. He had body armor and a rifle and was wearing a white mask, they said.
"I heard about 20 shots and everyone hit the ground," Moore said. "That's when we all just ran."
Early on, it was not clear if there was only one shooter.
At a press conference late Tuesday afternoon, Rhodes said "we can confirm at least one (shooter) has been neutralized." He said he was not positive if any other suspects are at large. A search was continuing.
Sunnyside Road and the southbound lanes of Interstate 205 were closed, according to reports. As of about 5:15 p.m., ODOT crews were preparing to open the I-205 southbound off-ramp to Sunnyside Road.
Three LifeFlight helicopters were brought in to evacuate victims. Two have been released and the third remains on standby in case it's needed.
The Oregonian reported that the weapon was an AR-15, the civilian version of an M-16 rifle.
The mall remains on lockdown at 5 p.m. as SWAT teams search for the shooter and possible victims, and work to evacuate employees and shoppers who took shelter during the shooting.
Shoppers and employees on scene are being interviewed by law enforcement officials on scene.
A perimeter was established around the mall. La Salle High School was put on lockdown.
One gunshot victim, immobile, was found near a Gentle Dental office at about 4:20 p.m.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office issued this statement via Twitter: "Shooting at Clackamas Town Center. Multiple police at the scene. If you do not need to be at the mall, please stay away."
Sheriff's officials were also asking those in the vicinity of the mall to stay off their cell phones.
Tri-Met announced that lines 28, 29, 30, 31, 71, 72, 79, 152, 155 and 156 are not serving Clackamas Town Center due to the shooting.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber issued the following statement in response to the shooting "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I appreciate the work of the first responders and their quick reaction to this tragic shooting. Oregon State Police Superintendent Rich Evans is on the scene. I have directed State Police to make any and all necessary resources available to local law enforcement."
This story will be updated.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/11/reports-gunfire-at-oregon-mall/
Masked gunman opens fire at Oregon mall, reportedly killing at least 2
Published December 11, 2012
FoxNews.com
A gunman who witnesses say was wearing camouflage and a white plastic mask opened fire in a shopping mall near Portland, Ore., killing at least one person and wounding others before the shooter was "neutralized" by police, authorities said.
"We believe there's at least one deceased and maybe more," said Clackamas County sheriff's Lt. James Rhodes. He said he wasn't sure whether the gunman is dead.
Authorities were going store-to-store to secure the scene, but Rhodes said there was no indication that there was more than one gunman.
A witness told KPTV that the gunman ran past her and her boyfriend and "had the look of death in his eyes."
One witness at the Clackamas Town Center told television station KATU that he saw sheets put over two people.
Kira Rowland told KGW-TV that she was shopping at Macy's with her infant when the shots started.
"All of a sudden you hear two shots, which sounded like balloons popping," Rowland told the station. "Everybody got on the ground. I grabbed the baby from the stroller and got on the ground."
Rowland said she heard people screaming and crying.
"I put the baby back in the stroller and ran like hell," Rowland said. "It was awful. It was shots after shots after shots like a massacre.
"It was just awful."
Holli Bautista, 28, said she was shopping in the Macy's for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard a two or three pops that sounded like firecrackers.
"I heard people running and screaming and saying `Get out, there's somebody shooting'," she told The Associated Press. "It was a scene of chaos."
She said hundreds of shoppers and mall employees started running, and she and dozens of other people were trying to escape through an exit in the department store.
Bautista said the Macy's opens into the food court area, where it was reported the shootings took place. Bautista said it sounded like the shots were coming from that direction.
Once Bautista made it out of the mall, police officers were directed her and the other shoppers across the street to another shopping center.
As she looked across the street, Bautista said she could see hundreds of police officers, firefighters and emergency workers pouring in.
"They're coming in from multiple different agencies. There's tons of ambulances lined up," she said.
Macy's employees Pam Moore and Austin Patty told the AP the shooter was short, with dark hair, dressed in camouflage. He had body armor and a rifle and was wearing a white mask, they said.
"I heard about 20 shots and everyone hit the ground," Moore said. "That's when we all just ran."
Entrances to the mall have been blocked off.
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