Suspect in Gay Bar
Rampage Dies in Ark.
By AP from the
NYTimes on the Web, February 6, 2006
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. -- An
alleged attack at a Massachusetts gay bar, the killing of an Arkansas officer
and the slaying of a mother of three -- Jacob D. Robida left a streak of
unexplained violence that ended in a fatal shootout with authorities.
Robida, 18, was mortally wounded when he opened fire on officers following a
chase through the Arkansas hills at speeds in excess of 90 mph. He was
shot twice in the head and later died at a hospital Sunday.
Authorities say Robida left behind three men wounded in a hatchet-and-gun attack
in Massachusetts and two people dead in Arkansas: a 63-year-old officer,
and a passenger in Robida's car, whom he had apparently met over the Internet.
''This is insane,'' said Heather Volton, 22, of Fall River, Mass., who had known
Robida, a high school dropout, for a year. ''That kid never so much as
raised his voice at me. ... This is all pretty much a shock to me, like everyone
else.''
Authorities had sought Robida since a Thursday morning attack at the Puzzles
Lounge in New Bedford, Mass., that left three men wounded, one critically.
Robida's friends said they didn't know him to hold animosity toward homosexuals,
though police investigators said he dabbled in Nazism. Police labeled the
attack a hate crime and sought Robida for attempted murder, assault and civil
rights charges.
Robida next surfaced when he shot and killed Gassville police officer Jim Sell,
which triggered a 20-mile chase from Gassville to Norfork as deputies and state
troopers fired shotguns at Robida. Spike strips finally slowed Robida's
green Pontiac to around 30 mph.
''The tires were deflating -- at least two of the tires were now running on
rims,'' Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said. ''It was
apparent he was losing control of the vehicle.''
Before the final exchange, officers had a clear view of Robida and his
passenger, Jennifer Rena Bailey, 33, of Charleston, W.Va., after Robida's car
spun nearly 180 degrees, crashing into a pair of parked cars.
''Investigators now believe Robida raised a handgun to the head of Bailey,
fired, and it is believed she was killed instantly by that gunshot,'' Sadler
said. ''Robida raised that same handgun and fired on the officers who were
present at the scene. They returned fire.''
West Virginia State Police said Bailey apparently had corresponded with Robida
over the Internet and in letters, and that Robida had picked her up after the
Massachusetts attack. Authorities were investigating whether Bailey went
willingly with Robida or was abducted.
Three of Robida's friends from a home page the teen created on the Web site
MySpace.com told The Associated Press that Bailey was Robida's ex-girlfriend.
They said the couple had lived together in West Virginia. Bailey was
either divorced or separated from her husband.
It appeared Sell had no idea that he had pulled over the Massachusetts suspect
while working a radar unit on the east side of Gassville as Robida headed
westbound into town. The green Pontiac bore Kentucky plates that hadn't
been reported stolen.
''The only information they had is what had happened at Gassville to the officer
there,'' Lt. Bill Beach, a criminal investigator for the state police.
''It wasn't until after the pursuit had terminated that they were able to
identify the suspect.''
New Bedford investigators had been in contact with West Virginia authorities
before Saturday's gunfight, but police spokesman Capt. Richard Spirlet declined
to provide details.
Sell was the first Baxter County officer killed in the line of duty since the
late 1960s, said Sheriff John Montgomery, who is based in Mountain Home, about
five miles from Gassville. Sell worked with the Blytheville police
department for over 25 years before retiring as captain in 2000. He had
been working with the Gassville force since 2003.
''We are a close-knit, small community,'' Montgomery said. ''I can tell
you that even though it was not our officer, it was devastating for our
department, like everyone else.''
Bob Perry, one of the Massachusetts bar patrons attacked, said before Robida's
death that he was hopeful the gunman would survive -- if only to explain his
actions.
''I'd like him to be able to regain consciousness and answer some questions,''
Perry said Saturday. ''I should have been dead 48 hours ago. I have
so many questions.''
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