obert Stewart Flores Jr. was a 41-year-old man living in Tucson, Arizona. He was a veteran of the Gulf War and had worked as a licensed practical nurse. At the time of the incident, Flores was enrolled at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing, where he was pursuing his studies to become a registered nurse.

Despite his military background, Flores was reportedly struggling academically. He had previously failed a pediatric nursing course and was on the verge of failing his critical care class, which was being taught by one of the professors he would later target. Flores was divorced and had two children. Some reports suggested he had grown increasingly frustrated and isolated in the weeks leading up to the incident, though no official psychiatric diagnosis was publicly confirmed.

There were also prior concerns raised about Flores' behavior on campus. He had once complained to university officials about the fairness of his treatment but no clear disciplinary actions or interventions had been reported. Despite his growing frustration, there were no formal warning signs that anticipated the scale or severity of what he would go on to do.

On the morning of October 28, 2002, Robert Flores entered the University of Arizona’s nursing school with a deadly plan. Armed with five handguns and more than 200 rounds of ammunition, he arrived at the building shortly after 8:30 a.m. He first walked into the office of Robin Rogers, a clinical assistant professor, located on the second floor. Without warning, Flores shot her multiple times, killing her.

He then moved to the fourth floor, where students were in the middle of taking a critical care exam. The class was being overseen by Cheryl McGaffic, a clinical associate professor. Flores entered the classroom, confronted McGaffic, and shot her. He also shot Barbara Monroe, another clinical assistant professor, who was present at the time. Both women died from their injuries.

After murdering all three professors, all of whom had either taught or evaluated him, Flores turned the gun on himself and died by suicide at the scene. The shooting caused panic and lockdowns across the campus. The Tucson Police Department and university officials later confirmed that all the victims were directly connected to Flores' academic challenges. A note reportedly left behind by Flores suggested his motive was tied to grievances over his treatment by the faculty and his academic failures, though authorities have not released its full contents to the public.

The tragic shooting shook the University of Arizona community and raised questions about mental health support, gun access, and campus safety policies. In the aftermath, the university implemented stricter security measures and increased mental health outreach for students.