Tacoma Mall shooting

Tacoma Mall shooting
Location Tacoma, Washington, United States
Date November 20, 2005
Target Tacoma Mall
Attack type
 Attempted mass murder
Weapons Norinco MAK-90 semi-automatic rifle, semi-automatic pistol
Deaths 0
Non-fatal injuries
 6
Perpetrator Dominick Sergio Maldonado

The Tacoma Mall shooting was an attempted mass murder that occurred on November 20, 2005, at the Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Washington, United States. The gunman, Dominick Maldonado, entered the mall with a semi-automatic Norinco MAK-90 rifle and a pistol, injuring six before he instigated four armed kidnappings.

Details

During the course of the shooting, Brendan (Dan) McKown, a legally armed citizen, intervened. McKown drew his 9mm CZ pistol and verbally commanded Maldonado to put down his gun. Maldonado's response was to fire on McKown, striking him once in the leg and four times in the torso, damaging McKown's spine and leaving him paralyzed. In addition to McKown, five other people were shot but not seriously injured, and a seventh person received a non-gunshot injury. At least one other person in the mall at the time also pulled a gun on Maldonado, but did not fire for fear of hitting innocent bystanders.[1] No one was killed during the shooting.

Maldonado then took four people hostage in a Sam Goody store, including two employees, a customer, and a 12-year-old boy whom he only briefly held captive before releasing. The attack began shortly after noon, and the hostage situation lasted until four p.m. when Maldonado surrendered to a Tacoma police SWAT team without further incident.[2]

Hostages taken during the incident chronicle their story on Biography Channel's I Survived....

The shooter

The perpetrator in the shootings was 20-year-old Dominick Sergio Maldonado, who had an extensive juvenile criminal record including burglary, theft, and possession of burglary tools. He had also been given a court order not to possess any weapons. At the time of the shooting, Maldonado had recently separated from his girlfriend, and had been using methamphetamine without sleep for almost a week.[3]

Trial and imprisonment

Maldonado was charged with eight counts of first-degree assault, four counts of first-degree kidnapping, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Maldonado pleaded not guilty to the charges and has since been through five different lawyers and three defense teams.[4][5]

Maldonado was convicted on October 2, 2007,[6] and sentenced to 163 years in prison on November 2.[7][8][9] He unsuccessfully attempted to escape from the Clallam Bay Corrections Center on June 29, 2011.[10] During the escape attempt, 25-year-old Dominick Maldonado took a corrections officer hostage using a pair of scissors. Kevin Newland, a second inmate, was shot and killed by a guard after driving a forklift through a set of doors and crashing it into a perimeter fence. [11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mall victim held fire at ‘kid’". thenewstribune.com. 2005-11-29. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  2. ↑ "Mall shooting suspect surrenders". CNN.com. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  3. ↑ Heffter, Emily; Sommerfeld, Julia; Carter, Mike (2005-11-20). "Man arrested in Tacoma Mall shooting". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Plea offer for teen that injured seven scorned by defense". KING5.com. 2006-03-03. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  5. ↑ "Fifth lawyer appointed to Tacoma Mall shooter". thenewstribune.com.com. 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  6. ↑ Tacoma Mall shooter to spend 163 years in prison
  7. ↑ "Tacoma Mall Shooter Receives 163-Year Sentence". KIRO7 Eyewitness News. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  8. ↑ Tacoma Mall shooter gets 163 year sentence
  9. ↑ Pierce County Superior Court Criminal Case 05-1-05774-4
  10. ↑ Champaco, Brent (2011-06-29). "Tacoma Mall Shooter Involved In Attempted Escape At Clallam Bay Prison". Lakewood Patch. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  11. ↑ Washington Department of Corrections
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