Teenage gunman kills eight plus self in Nebraska mall

A high school dropout, Robert A. Hawkins, carried out a shooting rampage in an Omaha shopping mall, killing eight people. It ended when he turned his high-powered rifle on himself.

Hawkins had a criminal past and had struggled to overcome depression, but friends thought he was making strides. According to Debora Maruca-Kovac, a surgical nurse whose family took in Hawkins after her 17- and 19-year-old sons befriended him,“He was a very helpful young man...he didn’t cause a lot of trouble." "He was very thankful for everything... he wasn’t a violent person at all.” said Deborah.

Hawkins had lost his job (and girlfirend) prior to this incidence. He had also suffered family rejection, which he possibly never got out of. All these combined caused him to regress.

It was obvious that rejection from his family bothered him a lot , as was seen in his suicide note....