Gunman’s Motive Still Not Known Police Say ‘Angry Young Man’ Behind Portland Hostage-Taking Incident
A man accused of shooting two people and taking four others hostage appeared in court Friday as investigators tried to sort out the reasons for his rampage.
James Rincker, 24, stood quietly with his hands cuffed behind him for his arraignment on charges of attempted murder, assault and kidnapping. He was ordered held on $550,000 bail.
One of the wounded men was released from a hospital Friday. The second remained in fair condition and faced more surgery on his shattered leg.
The hostages, who were released unharmed, and employees of the Charles Schwab stock brokerage where the 4-1/2-hour siege took place were offered counseling Friday.
Other employees in the 30-story KOIN Center went back to work, passing bullet-shattered glass in the windows between the brokerage and the lobby.
The gunman’s motive remained unclear. Though he wore military-style fatigues and a black beret, there was no immediate indication he was affiliated with any paramilitary organizations or held any extreme anti-government views.
Portland police spokesman Lt. C.W. Jensen said Rincker expressed a general sense of frustration with financial, government and media institutions - “large, powerful organizations that control life in the United States.”
“He was just an angry young man,” Jensen said. “He had a lot of anger issues that he needed to work out.” A number of institutions, including television station KOIN, have offices in the KOIN Center.
The gunman shot two men in the underground parking garage of the building shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday and then went into the lobby, where he fired into the air and seized a female hostage. He took her into the Charles Schwab office, where he took three more hostages.
Three others hid in the office without the gunman’s knowledge until he surrendered.
Rincker worked for Express-It Delivery for five months before he was fired Nov. 7, said Portland manager Dave Clancy. Clancy said the company was dissatisfied with Rincker’s excessive tardiness and his performance. However, company records showed no customer complaints.
Police initially said the former deliveryman intended to shoot women office workers with whom he had a dispute.
Jensen said Rincker carried an assault rifle, a shotgun and a 9-mm handgun into the KOIN Center. A second assault rifle was found in his car.
Jensen said police believed Rincker bought the handgun in Utah and the other guns in Portland.
Rincker moved to Portland last spring after nearly two years at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Dean of Students Lee Peters said Rincker majored in physics with a minor in mathematics.
Rincker went to work at a 7-Eleven store in northeast Portland after moving from Ogden. After about a month, he left and went to work for the local office of Express-It, a national courier service.