Mall shooting suspect served multiple times in Afghanistan

Mall shooting suspect is Army veteran; served in Afghanistan
Friends say the man lived with his wife in Springfield and served multiple tours overseas

BY JACK MORAN
The Register-Guard
Published: Friday, Dec 17, 2010 06:00AM

A former Army soldier shot by police after he allegedly fired several gunshots in a crowded Valley River Center parking lot on Wednesday clung to life Thursday at a Springfield hospital, officials said.

The man, identified by police as Michael Thomas Mason, 27, was listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon and was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, hospital spokesman Jim Godbold said. However, when reached late Thursday night, Godbold said the hospital had no information on a person by that name at its facility.

Under federal medical privacy law, hospital officials are not allowed to disclose whether a patient has been admitted to their facility if and when so requested by a patient’s family.

Eugene police Capt. Chuck Tilby said investigators could not confirm Mason’s hometown. However, residents of an east Springfield neighborhood say Mason has lived at two addresses south of Main Street during the past few years.

Neighbors said Mason is married, and served multiple military tours in Afghanistan since U.S. combat operations began there in 2001.

“My son looks up to him, calls him his ‘life-sized soldier,’ ” said Camellia Street resident Kendra Lufkin, referring to Mason’s relationship with her 9-year-old son, Creed.

Lufkin and several other neighbors said Mason and his wife moved into a home earlier this year after residing in a nearby apartment complex. Lane County property records list him as the home’s owner.

A family spokesman who provided The Register-Guard with Mason’s photo said Mason served in the Army from 2002 to 2006.

Lufkin called Mason “a big teddy bear” with a tough exterior who once confided to her that his final tour in Afghanistan kept him awake some nights because the experience was “very extreme.”
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Mall shooting suspect is Army veteran served in Afghanistan