Massachusetts Gay Bar Attacker Shot and Killed in Arkansas
Wed. February 8, 2006 12:00 AM by GayWebMonkey.com
Gassville, Arkansas -
The 18-year-old suspect in a gay bar attack in Massachusetts last week died earlier this week of wounds suffered over the weekend in a shootout with Arkansas police officers.
Police say Jacob D. Robida, who was wanted on suspicion of attacking several members of the New Bedford gay bar Puzzles last week, shot and killed a lone police officer during a routine traffic stop Saturday.
Police only realized this was the same teenager wanted for the Massachusetts attack after pulling him over.
Police officials also believe that Robida killed a 33-year-old woman from West Virginia, Jennifer Rena Bailey, apparently an acquaintance he had picked up after the attacks in Massachusetts.
"There's a criminal investigation that is still very much ongoing," Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police, said Sunday. "Witness statements are still being taken, evidence being collected; law enforcement officers in at least two other states are assisting in this investigation."
Early last Thursday morning, Robida, a high school dropout from New Bedford, walked into Puzzles Lounge in that town, ordered a drink and asked the bartender if Puzzles was a gay bar, according to previous reports on 247Gay.com.
When told that it was a gay bar, Robida reportedly attacked two men playing pool and another man leaving the restroom.
New Bedford police said that Robida struck a bar patron in the head with a hatchet and hit a second patron when he tried to come to the aid of the first victim. The third victim was shot. Robida fled, leaving behind the hatchet and a machete he had not used.
The police, who said Robida had once attended a police academy for troubled teens, reported that they found neo-Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic and racist writings in Robida's room at his home.
Early Saturday afternoon, Robida was stopped for a traffic violation by Officer Jim Sell in Gassville, an mountain town near the Missouri state line. Robida shot Sell, 56, with a handgun while the officer was inspecting his driver's license, according to the Boston Herald.
Sadler said Robida and Bailey sped off in the car, and police officers in nearby towns tried several times to stop them by firing at them and trying to block the road with their cars.
Finally, state police officers set out spike strips on the road, which succeeded in puncturing two of Robida's tires. He drove into the town of Norfork, losing control of his car and crashing into two parked cars.
Sadler said state police officers saw Robida shoot Bailey in the head, and they believe she died instantly. Robida then fired at the police officers, who returned fire, striking Robida twice in the head, Sadler said. Robida was then flown by helicopter to a hospital in Springfield, Missouri, where officials said he died early Sunday.
New Bedford's mayor Scott Lang paid a visit to Puzzles on Saturday night to tell patrons that Robida had been caught in Arkansas and was in the hospital. Several patrons expressed relief, including Robert Perry, one of Robida's victims, who showed up at the bar after his release from the hospital with a black eye a 5-inch gash on his face and a bullet hole in his back, according to the Associated Press.
Written By Danny McCoy
Police say Jacob D. Robida, who was wanted on suspicion of attacking several members of the New Bedford gay bar Puzzles last week, shot and killed a lone police officer during a routine traffic stop Saturday.
Police only realized this was the same teenager wanted for the Massachusetts attack after pulling him over.
Police officials also believe that Robida killed a 33-year-old woman from West Virginia, Jennifer Rena Bailey, apparently an acquaintance he had picked up after the attacks in Massachusetts.
"There's a criminal investigation that is still very much ongoing," Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police, said Sunday. "Witness statements are still being taken, evidence being collected; law enforcement officers in at least two other states are assisting in this investigation."
Early last Thursday morning, Robida, a high school dropout from New Bedford, walked into Puzzles Lounge in that town, ordered a drink and asked the bartender if Puzzles was a gay bar, according to previous reports on 247Gay.com.
When told that it was a gay bar, Robida reportedly attacked two men playing pool and another man leaving the restroom.
New Bedford police said that Robida struck a bar patron in the head with a hatchet and hit a second patron when he tried to come to the aid of the first victim. The third victim was shot. Robida fled, leaving behind the hatchet and a machete he had not used.
The police, who said Robida had once attended a police academy for troubled teens, reported that they found neo-Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic and racist writings in Robida's room at his home.
Early Saturday afternoon, Robida was stopped for a traffic violation by Officer Jim Sell in Gassville, an mountain town near the Missouri state line. Robida shot Sell, 56, with a handgun while the officer was inspecting his driver's license, according to the Boston Herald.
Sadler said Robida and Bailey sped off in the car, and police officers in nearby towns tried several times to stop them by firing at them and trying to block the road with their cars.
Finally, state police officers set out spike strips on the road, which succeeded in puncturing two of Robida's tires. He drove into the town of Norfork, losing control of his car and crashing into two parked cars.
Sadler said state police officers saw Robida shoot Bailey in the head, and they believe she died instantly. Robida then fired at the police officers, who returned fire, striking Robida twice in the head, Sadler said. Robida was then flown by helicopter to a hospital in Springfield, Missouri, where officials said he died early Sunday.
New Bedford's mayor Scott Lang paid a visit to Puzzles on Saturday night to tell patrons that Robida had been caught in Arkansas and was in the hospital. Several patrons expressed relief, including Robert Perry, one of Robida's victims, who showed up at the bar after his release from the hospital with a black eye a 5-inch gash on his face and a bullet hole in his back, according to the Associated Press.
Written By Danny McCoy
Article provided in partnership with GayWebMonkey.com.