Robert Breck is accused of being the 80-year-old man who opened fire at a senior citizens’ apartment building – Smith Tower Apartments – in Vancouver, Washington.
Breck is accused of shooting three people. Two women were injured, and a man was killed, police said. The victims’ names were not released. Journalist Brenna Kelly wrote on Twitter, “Police confirm suspect is 80 y/o Robert Breck. People who live here tell me they know him as Bob, and were in complete shock to hear his name. The daughter of a woman who lives in the building tells me her mom broke down when she told her his name.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Say Robert E. Breck, a Resident of the Apartment Building, Was Taken Into Custody After Holing Up in His Apartment
Vancouver PD identify the shooter as this man, 80 yr old Robert E Breck. He was arrested on one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. #KOIN6News
Kim Kapp, Vancouver police spokesperson, said early on that police had responded to shots being fired at the apartment complex. “Early reports were that there were multiple victims that were hit,” she said. “This is an active shooter situation.” The call came in as shots fired.
Robert Eugene Breck was later booked into the County Jail on a murder charge and two charges of attempted murder. Here’s the jail booking sheet:
Robert Breck jail record.
She said three victims were located. “We have identified a potential suspect. He is a resident of the apartment complex. We have been in verbal communication with him with crisis negotiators to try to get him to peacefully surrender,” she said before Robert Breck’s arrest.
2. Breck, Who Once Ran a Construction Business, Previously Filed for Bankruptcy
According to Oregon Live, Breck “started his own construction business in Clark County in 1993.”
In 2001, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. According to the newspaper, Breck had no prior criminal record in Oregon or Washington, other than dismissed traffic tickets. Heavy confirmed the bankruptcy filing in federal court. It was filed out of Oregon. However, no documents were immediately available because of the age of the case.
Ancestry.com records show that Breck has ties to Oregon as well as Vancouver, Washington.
3. A Woman Who Knew Breck Described Breck as Friendly & Nice
Update from Vancouver Police: On October 3, at approximately 2:09 p.m., Vancouver Police responded to a call of a shooting at 515 Washington Street (Smith Tower Apartments). When officers arrived, they located three victims in the lobby suffering from gunshot wounds. #koin6news
Iva Gjerde, 94, spoke about Breck to Oregon Live. She lives in the apartment complex.
“He was my neighbor,” Gjerde said to the newspaper. “As far as I knew, he was friendly and nice. There was never a problem with him at all.”
Some residents were evacuated and others were sheltering in place, Kapp said. At that time, a peaceful resolution with the suspect was being sought. She said there were no hostages and the man was in his own residence.
4. The Shots Were Fired in the Lobby But the Motive Isn’t Clear, Police Say
Authorities have identified the man arrested & accused of killing one person and shooting two others at a downtown Vancouver apartment building. Police say he’s 80-yr-old Robert Breck, a resident at Smith Tower Apartments #vancouver #shooting #washington #pdx #koin6news
Kapp provided some details of what occurred. The shots were fired in the lobby. She didn’t know what the motive was for the mass shooting. “There’s no information about what precipitated the shooting,” she said. Several streets were closed as a result of the police activity, she said. Initially, police did not have the conditions of the victims but repeated, “We’ve identified three victims.”
Kapp said authorities were working with the managers of the building to make sure that everyone was accounted for. She didn’t know the number of floors that were evacuated.
She said police obtained schematics of the building but it was “challenging” because it was a multi-story building. She didn’t know whether the victims were also residents of the building.
5. A Neighbor Claims That Breck Had Issues With One of the Victims
The scene at Smith Tower
Johnny Moffey, a resident at the complex, told KOIN 6 News that he was a friend of Breck’s. He told the station that one of the victims had “personal issues” with the suspect that he didn’t detail.
“He doesn’t bother anybody, but this one particular person he said was harassing him, and I know how that is,” said Moffey to the television station. “That’s all I can say.” Authorities have not confirmed this account.
Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogl released following statement following the suspect’s arrest: “While we are still learning about what happened surrounding the shooting incident this afternoon in downtown Vancouver, our hearts go out to the victims and their families as they deal with this tragedy. I commend our police officers, fire and EMS personnel who quickly responded to the scene. I have the utmost confidence in our officers as they work to resolve the situation.”