Jacob D. Robida (June13, 1987 – February5, 2006) was an American
neo-Nazi and
murderer
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
. Robida attacked three patrons at a
gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities.
Gay bars once serv ...
in
New Bedford, Massachusetts on February2, 2006 before fleeing by vehicle to
Charleston, West Virginia, where he picked up passenger Jennifer Rena Bailey and drove southwest. He was stopped for a traffic violation by
Gassville, Arkansas police officer James W. Sell, whom Robida shot and killed before fleeing east. Robida lost control of his vehicle in
Norfork, Arkansas
Norfork is a city in Baxter County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 550 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Norfork is located at (36.209506, -92.281702). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of wh ...
shortly after running over a
spike strip
A spike strip (spike belt, traffic spikes, tire shredders, stingers, stop sticks, Stinger or formally known as a tire deflation device) is a device or incident weapon used to impede or stop the movement of wheeled vehicles by puncturing their ti ...
laid by police. He then engaged in a firefight with police, during which he fatally shot Bailey and then shot himself in the head.
Robida died in a hospital in
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
at 03:38
CST on February5, 2006.
Attack
About midnight on February2, 2006, Robida entered Puzzles Lounge, a popular gay bar in
New Bedford, Massachusetts, south of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. The 18-year-old, dressed in black, proceeded to order a drink allegedly using a
fake ID
Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those ...
indicating he was 23. After downing his first drink, he asked the bartender if the lounge was a gay bar. The bartender confirmed it was. After a second drink Robida then swung a hatchet at a patron's head, injuring him. Other patrons tackled him and relieved him of the weapon, whereupon Robida produced a
handgun and began shooting, wounding at least three more people.
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
treated the incident as a
hate crime, and Robida was sought by police for three counts of
attempted murder.
Robida fled the scene in a green 1999
Pontiac Grand Am
The Pontiac Grand Am is a mid-size car and later a compact car that was produced by Pontiac. The Grand Am had two separate three-year runs in the 1970s: from 1973 to 1975, and again from 1978 to 1980. It was based on the GM A platform. Productio ...
to
Charleston, West Virginia, where he was joined by Jennifer Rena Bailey and drove southwest. It has been reported that Robida lived with Bailey in West Virginia in 2004. It is unclear whether Bailey joined him willingly or if she was abducted.
Manhunt and capture
Police immediately began a manhunt for Robida and raided his mother's home in New Bedford. She told them she had last seen him at 1:00a.m. bleeding from the head and that he had left soon after. They found weapons of all types, including hatchets, knives, handguns and a shotgun. In his bedroom they found "Nazi regalia" and anti-Semitic writings on the walls. Fearing he may have left Massachusetts, state police contacted the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
, sparking a nationwide manhunt. Before long, flyers depicting Robida were distributed all over Massachusetts.
In the afternoon of February4, 2006, Robida's vehicle was seen about away in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, where Jim Sell, a
Gassville police officer, initiated a traffic stop at the Brass Door Restaurant parking lot. After talking with Sell for about half a minute, Robida opened fire with a 9mm handgun, killing the officer. He turned onto
Arkansas Highway 201
Highway 201 (AR 201, Ark. 201, and Hwy. 201) is a north–south state highway in Baxter County, Arkansas. The route runs from Arkansas Highway 341 in Salesville north to the Missouri state line through Mountain Home, the c ...
headed south and continued to
Arkana, Arkansas, where he fired at Arkansas State Police Sgt. Van Nowlin. Police pursued him and laid spike strips; although these flattened his front tires, they failed to stop the car. Robida fled for about 18miles down
Arkansas Highway 5
Highway 5 (AR 5, Ark. 5, and Hwy. 5) is a designation for three state highways in Arkansas. The southern segment of runs from Highway 7 in Hot Springs north to US Highway 70 (US 70) in Little Rock. A northern segment of be ...
, where he turned south and drove into the small town of
Norfork. In the middle of town he lost control of the car due to the front tires, spun out, and hit two parked vehicles. He then exchanged gunfire with police. During the gunfight, he shot Bailey in the head at point blank range with a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol, killing her instantly. After Bailey's death, Robida shot himself in the right side of the head. He was flown more than 100miles to
Springfield,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
for medical treatment, where he died of his injuries the next day, on February5.
Responses to the attack
At first the mayor of
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
, Scott Lang, attributed the attack in part to video games:
This was a hate crime... the actions of a single deranged individual act as a wake up call to our community and once again the nation... This cycle of violence must stop. The guns have to come off the streets. The violent video games have to be taken out of our homes.
Believing the mayor was jumping to conclusions, gamers and members of GamePolitics wrote to Lang, citing that nobody had even mentioned video games as connection to the mass murders, nor had Robida ever mentioned games on his
MySpace weblog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
. In reply to Andrew Eisen, a member of
GamePolitics.com who had written to the mayor over his comments, Lang wrote:
When you get a chance please explain to me the social benefits behind police and military video games for the future of our children.
While I am not familiar with these videos I have seen enough to know they can provide no healthy education for our children. Lastly, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Robida played these video games on a regular basis as he was completely obsessed with weapons, violence and destruction. See his my space website for more details. I sincerely appreciate your comments.
However, examination of Robida's MySpace website (archived on GamePolitics ) showed a passion for
Neo-Nazism and
Insane Clown Posse, known for its violent and dark lyrics. One song in particular mentions attacking people with a hatchet, similar to Robida's crime.
On February7,
Insane Clown Posse released a statement on the Robida attacks. The group's manager Alex Abbiss extended members
Violent J
Joseph Frank Bruce (born April 28, 1972), known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is a co-founder of the record label '' Psychopathic R ...
and
Shaggy 2 Dope's condolences and prayers to the families of the victims, stating "It's quite obvious that this guy had no clue what being a Juggalo is all about. If anyone knows anything at all about ICP, then you know that they have never, ever been down or will be down with any racist or bigotry bullshit."
Comments from Jack Thompson
On February7, 2006,
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to:
Sports
* Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City
* Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...
, a
disbarred attorney, commented on the incident, describing the bar attack as a "killing scenario" from ''
Postal²'' and the killing of Sell a "
suicide by cop homicide" inspired by ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily d ...
''. Police later dismissed the "suicide by cop" theory when it was discovered that Robida had fatally shot himself.
Thompson claimed to have spoken to a New Bedford detective, who "repeatedly" said Robida's friends had said "he played the ''Grand Theft Auto'' games." No further details have emerged, but the following day the Bristol County District Attorney rejected the video game link after examining all the evidence collected from Robida's apartment and car.
My look at the search warrant or Robida's homewas that the investigators turned up no video games. From the information we have here, there is no proof video games were involved.
See also
*
Violence against LGBT people
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people frequently experience violence directed toward their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. This violence may be enacted by the state, as in laws prescribing punishment for hom ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robida, Jacob
1987 births
2006 suicides
American bloggers
American neo-Nazis
American spree killers
Crimes in Massachusetts
Criminals from Massachusetts
Discrimination against LGBT people in the United States
Hate crimes
Murder in Massachusetts
Suicides by firearm in Arkansas
Violence against gay men in the United States
Violence against men in North America