On March 20, 2014, 19-year-old Edward Coullahan shot and killed 14 people, and injured 24 more in a mass shooting at The Iron Café, Robloxia. The attack concluded when Coullahan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The attack is considered one of the deadliest shootings in Robloxia on a nightclub, before it was surpassed by the 2018 Club Iris massacre.
The weapon used was a Colt M1911A1, which was purchased illegally by Coullahan. There was also another weapon, a Smith & Wesson Model 642, was found in Coullahan’s bag, which was left unused.
Events
Prior to the shooting
At 9:14 A.M., the Iron Café got a phone call from an unknown number. It was reported that the person on the other side was breathing heavily, and after 4 seconds, they hung up. It was thought to be a prank call at first, as the Iron Café were receiving many of those unknown number calls during late 2013 and early 2014 featuring the other end of the conversation pranking them. The security was noticeably lackluster at that time, as despite having only four guards, three of them on-duty and one of them on break, they reportedly did not check the bags of the patrons and reportedly allowed any bag to be processed through security.
Meanwhile, with Coullahan, it was reported that he was buying a chest rig at a nearby gun store. On an unknown forum, he typed simply; "iron cafe y’all better be prepared". Most of the users on the site thought that he was either an edgelord or a troll, with many of them calling him a "shooter wannabe". Coullahan later deleted his post, and later his account, after a few hours to prevent the Roternet from finding out that he was the one who started the shooting.
Start of the shooting
Coullahan entered the building, walking down the stairs. He placed his bag on a table in the second floor, and proceeded to fire upon the first floor, and the other patrons around him. Despite the abysmal security, they were quick to show up, with two surrounding him. However, they were still shot. Another security officer, Kendrick Bradley, managed to disarm Coullahan for a few seconds, before Coullahan grabbed a knife and stabbed Bradley to death. He then entered the bathroom, firing inside the stalls. He then exited the bathroom, continuing onto the main floor and firing upon the remaining patrons. He shot four people trying to escape, as well as one bartender. A man named Derek Hodek jumped onto Coullahan's back, disarming him. He then grabbed Coullahan's knife, and was able to scratch Coullahan on his cheek, and then stabbing it in Coullahan’s arm. Unfortunately, Hodek was overpowered, and Coullahan then grabbed the gun, shooting Hodek in the chest.
Police arrival
Police arrived after seven minutes, due to calls from several of the patrons. Coullahan engaged in a shootout with the first few officers, whilst another group of officers went in through the back door. Coullahan managed to injure 3 officers while also killing another. The group who entered through the back door shot at Coullahan, hitting him in his left hand. After that, Coullahan went into the restroom, locking the door and barricading it with the bodies of his previous kills. Police tried battering the door open, but to no avail.
Death
After barricading the door, Coullahan under a barricaded door chose to fire a gun at himself, causing him to pass away. Shortly after, with no one to push back the door to prevent the police from coming in or watch the barricade, the police were eventually able to break in after disassembling the corpse barricade, discovering Coullahan’s body. Seeing that he was dead, the police did not arrest him.
Aftermath
Survivors reported that Coullahan was messing around with the dead bodies, making them go into weird poses and using them as hyper realistic dolls to turn them into barricade material. Police evacuated the remaining patrons, with news outlets interviewing the survivors. Out of 62 patrons that day, 14 were killed, and 24 more were injured. Police found several other unused magazines inside of Coullahan’s bag, including an unused Smith & Wesson Model 642.
Legacy
After the Iron Café massacre, several gun rights activists and the families of the victims criticized the government due to how easy it was for Coullahan to obtain the weapons, as after an investigation, Coullahan had reportedly bought the weapons while he was a minor. The owner of the café, IronInforcer, was also criticized for the poor security measures set inside the café. Two days after the shooting, IronInforcer issued a public apology, sending condolences to the families of the victims and the survivors of the shooting. It is unknown if security was ever tightened to necessitate the need for bag inspections, but it was implied that shooting plans since then have become foiled.
Several copycat shootings have occurred after this, such as the 2018 Club Iris massacre and the 2015 Roblox Bowling Alley shooting. The suspect of the Roblox Bowling Alley shooting, Wayne Phillips, said in a court hearing that he was inspired by Coullahan due to their similar personalities.