'It was surreal;' mall-goer recounts nightmarish experience
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - Daniel Martinez had just sat down at Jamba Juice inside Clackamas Town Center when suddenly he heard rapid gunfire.
He turned around and saw a masked gunman wearing all black about 10 feet away.
Instantly, the 22-year-old Hood River man said he knew the enormity of the situation, as others frantically ran by or dropped to the ground. One man grabbed his infant from a stroller and fled into a nearby store, Martinez said.
“I just saw him (the gunman) and thought, ‘I need to go somewhere,’” Martinez said. “It was so fast, and at that time, everyone was moving around.”
Martinez ran to the nearest clothing store. As he ran, he motioned for another woman to follow; several others ran to the store as well, hiding in a fitting room.
Martinez said he and others hid in the fitting room for about an hour. In the meantime, SWAT officers combed the mall, telling groups of people to stay where they were because the gunman hadn’t yet been apprehended, he said.
After an hour and a half, police told the group they could leave the mall. Martinez said he walked an older woman to her car before heading to his vehicle.
“People were calm,” Martinez said. But “when they were escorted out, there were a lot of people crying and some people were very angry.”
Tuesday evening, he said he’s still sorting through the gravity of the situation and feels fortunate he got out safe.
“It was very surreal,” he said. “It was like, ‘Is this really happening?’”
Martinez posted a photo Tuesday evening on his Instagram page taken inside the mall following the shootings. “What an experience,” Martinez wrote. “My condolences go out to everyone.”
Here again is a case of a citizen had of been armed they might have been able to take out this dirt bag before he killed others before doing us a favor of doing him self in. I carry and will carry anywhere it is legal to protect myself against those that think they need some company on the way to where ever. I will not go looking for someone, but I will stand up if they come my way. Police are no protection, laws are no protection, so don't wait for help to come.
@LongBeachBum - Right.... and most people who say this would either be contributing to the injuries and/or deaths or become a victim themselves. Â
Â
Remember the Tacoma Mall shooter?
Â
Remember that a jewelry store owner wanted to play hero like that and stop the guy with the gun he was packing for protection of his store?
Â
Remember that he didn't get to shoot the guy - that instead he was hit multiple times and now has to use a wheelchair because he's paralyzed from the waist down?
Â
Unless you are very, very well trained in how to react during a crisis situation, you are not likely to be worth much even with a gun.Â
Â
I'm not saying it wouldn't happen the way you want it to (if you were there), I'm just saying that it's not very likely to come out that way.
Â
If I were in the mall, and that idiot opened up near me, Â I would have returned fire. Â Yes, I know he was wearing body armor, but I bet it was not covering his legs or head. Â I carry some pretty heavy armament, and even one shot hitting one of his legs would have put him down and stopped him, and I would not have stopped firing at one shot.
 @Pathfinder or you'd hit some innocent bystander with your panic fired rounds... I'm not against private firearms ownership, or even carrying, but I could do without your "I'm a hero... just give me a chance" routine
@TruthinAdverts @Pathfinder People like Pathfinder scare me as much as the real criminals do. If you are going to carry a gun, you need to be fully aware of the rules for carrying and using. It sounds like Pathfinder is thinking like a little boy, not like a responsible gun owner...
@Silvia - I will agre with you Truth and Silvia.  MOST folks who 'think' they are well trained with guns have absolutely no experience in crisis / pressure situations and end up screwing things up worse - or they freeze and don't accomplish anything.
Â
I call it 'the hero complex' when people make those kinds of claims. It's a rare person who can actually achieve the goal of taking down a guy in a situation like that.
Â
Proof is with Cops - they are highly trained to deal with pressure/crisis situations and how to shoot during that (for the pessimists - consider that to be in relation to how little training of that kind average citizens have) - and yet most of thier bullets don't hit the intended target (the bad guy).   Take someone who's lesser trained and you get a disaster.
Â
Â
Â
@Pathfinder Would you really be sure that you could hit one of his legs? That's a small target that is probably moving. And if you did hit a leg, the bullet would have gone through and hit maybe another person...I bet you watch a lot of tv or play a lot of video games, huh?
 @Silvia  @Pathfinder Legs are a big target compared to a head shot. Once you drop them with as leg shot you can finish the job if you so desire. As for doing nothing, you can join the two others that he killed on his way out.
 @LongBeachBum  @Pathfinder I come from a family of gun owners and gun instructors. I *know* guns. An ordinary civilian would be taking a huge risk in trying to "drop" someone with a leg shot. That is the stuff of tv shows and video games, not real life. Better to take cover and let the professionals do the "hero" routine.
My sympathy for the victims today. I am going to stay away from the mall until 2013. Hard to find parking, too many people, and there plenty of lunatics out there. I will go to Costco though.
This comment has been deleted
 @ScallywagNYC Spam. Don't Click. "this site may be compromised"
I really couldn't imagine being in a situation like that. Just absolutely crazy. I'm just glad it didn't get any worse as it very well could've!