Oregon Mall Shooting a Chilling Reminder Of Tacoma Mall Shooting

A mall shooting at a busy Oregon mall Tuesday brought many in the South Sound back to Nov. 20, 2005.

That's when the region experienced its own terrifying case of a gunman opening fire inside a crowded mall. Dominick S. Maldonado, who was 20 at the time, began walking through the Tacoma Mall and pulling the trigger.

People ran screaming away from the mall or were hiding terrified inside of it. Maldonaldo took four people hostage. He left one man paralyzed. Maldonaldo eventually surrendered and was sentenced to 163 years in prison.

Tuesday's shooting at the Clackamas Mall in Oregon had some eerie similarities.

Police say the shooter was Jacob Tyler Roberts, who was 22, just two years older than Maldonaldo.

Donning a white mask, he opened fire in one of the Portland area's busiest malls, just like the Tacoma Mall during the holiday shopping season. At this point, police believe he acted alone and had no clear motive, the same manner in which Maldonaldo carried out his act.

But one glaring difference: Roberts turned the gun on himself while Maldonaldo is still alive.

It seems like these shootings are becoming more common than not. We ask you, Patch users, what do you think? Did Tuesday's mall shooting in Oregon remind you of the Tacoma Mall shooting in 2005? Is there anything authorities can do to help prevent these types of tragedies?

Tell us in the comments below.