Robert Arthur Hawkins was born on May 17, 1988, at the RAF Lakenheath station in Suffolk, England. His parents, Ronald Hawkins and Maribel "Molly" Rodriguez, were both U.S. Air Force personnel. During his early childhood, he displayed persistent violent behavior while in preschool. Due to this, he was hospitalized at the age of four. Doctors diagnosed him with attention-deficit disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, connected to his chaotic home life.

When he turned 14, Hawkins was sent to a mental health treatment center after threatening to kill his stepmother. Four months later, he became a ward of the State of Nebraska. He remained a ward for nearly four years until he was discharged, as he showed little willingness to improve during his treatment. Hawkins was diagnosed with an unspecified mood disorder and oppositional defiant disorder during his second hospitalization. The state spent approximately $265,000 on his treatments.

Hawkins attended Fort Calhoun High School but was expelled after attempting to sell drugs to his classmates in 2005. After this, he moved on to Papillion-La Vista High School but dropped out in March 2006. He later received a GED. In late 2006, he became estranged from his parents and chose to live with two friends and their mother in Bellevue, Nebraska, which is a suburb located about 10 miles south of Omaha.

The owner of the house, Debora Maruca-Kovac, described Hawkins as troubled. At this time, he faced personal issues, including being fired from his job at McDonald's for stealing $17 and having recently separated from his girlfriend. In the summer of 2007, Hawkins attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army but was turned down due to his mental health history.

In late November 2007, Hawkins faced legal trouble. He was ticketed for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two alcohol charges. Additionally, he threatened to harm a local teenager’s family, believing she had stolen his CD player. Despite this, no charges were filed against him, as he had a reputation for boasting without follow-through. He also had a felony drug charge from his time in foster care in Omaha.

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.