A former security guard with a concealed carry permit may have prevented Jacob Tyler Roberts, the 22-year-old who killed two people and critically wounded another when he opened fire at an Oregon shopping mall last Wednesday, from inflicting even more carnage.
Nick Meli claims after Roberts, saw his gun, Roberts killed himself.
“I’m not beating myself up cause I didn’t shoot him,” Meli said. “I know after he saw me, I think the last shot he fired was the one he used on himself.”
Meli told Portland, Oregon’s NewsChannel 8 that as he was about to fire, he saw someone move in the background and never pulled the trigger because “I knew if I fired and missed, I could hit them.”
While at the mall with a friend and her baby, Meli “positioned himself behind a pillar” and took out his gun after hearing three gunshots.
Meli said the gunman “was working on his rifle” and “kept pulling the charging handle and hitting the side.”
This break in the action gave Meli time to pull out his gun, which he claims the gunman saw before pulling the trigger on himself.
Meli eventually took cover at a nearby store.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.