Robert Arthur Hawkins was born on May 17, 1988, at the RAF Lakenheath Air Force base in Suffolk, England, to American parents stationed with the U.S. Air Force, Ronald Hawkins and Maribel “Molly” Rodríguez. His early childhood was marked by severe behavioral and emotional difficulties. At the age of four, he was hospitalized for violent outbursts in preschool, leading to early diagnoses of attention‑deficit disorder (ADD) and post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the latter attributed to a chaotic and unstable home environment.

As a child, Hawkins exhibited patterns of aggression, impulsivity, and social withdrawal. At age 14, just one day after his birthday, he was sent to a mental health treatment center for threatening to kill his stepmother. His behavior continued to deteriorate, and within months he was placed under the custody of the State of Nebraska as a ward, where he remained for nearly four years. Multiple psychiatric evaluations diagnosed him with an unspecified mood disorder and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). His state‑funded treatment and residential care reportedly cost more than $265,000.

During his teenage years, Hawkins’s education was unstable. He was expelled from Fort Calhoun High School in 2005 for attempting to sell drugs to classmates, and after transferring to Papillion–La Vista High School, he dropped out in March 2006, later earning his GED. His criminal record as a juvenile included a felony drug conviction, reflecting a history of substance abuse and poor impulse control.

In 2006 and 2007, Hawkins became increasingly detached from his parents and moved in with friends in Bellevue, Nebraska, at the home of Debora Maruca‑Kovac, who described him as “troubled but polite.” By late 2007, his life had unraveled further: he lost his job at McDonald’s for stealing $17, broke up with his girlfriend after cheating on her, and was rejected from the U.S. Army due to his documented mental health history. Those close to him later recalled that he had expressed hopelessness and anger about his future.

In the final months before the attack, Hawkins faced new legal and social troubles. On November 24, 2007, he was ticketed for underage alcohol possession and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, with a court date set for December 19, 2007. He also made violent threats against a teenager he accused of theft, telling her he would kill her family and burn her house down — threats that were ultimately dismissed as idle talk by those who knew him. 

On December 5, 2007, Robert Hawkins entered the Von Maur department store at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. Surveillance footage showed that he first arrived at 1:36 p.m. However, he left shortly after without anything in his hands. He returned six minutes later, this time with a Century WASR-10 rifle, which he had stolen from his stepfather's house. He concealed the rifle and two magazines taped together under his sweatshirt.

At around 1:43 p.m., Hawkins stepped out of the elevator on the third floor and began shooting. He killed two women near clothing racks and then fired shots downward, hitting two men on the first and second floors. He wounded two others on the third floor, leading to one fatality. Hawkins then moved to the customer service desk and shot several more people, killing three individuals there.

In total, he had fired 41 rounds from his rifle. Hawkins ultimately took his own life by shooting himself in the head. Six people were killed instantly, and others died later due to their injuries. The responding Omaha Police arrived about six minutes after the first 911 call was made.

After the incident, it was reported that Hawkins had Valium in his system, but no other drugs were found. The shooting left eight people dead, including several store employees and customers. Four additional people were injured, some critically. In the aftermath, the community mourned the loss of the victims, and a fund was created to support their families.