On a tragic autumn morning in Tucson, Arizona, the life of Cheryl Mallernee McGaffic, a 44-year-old White female, was cut short in a horrifying act of violence that shook the University of Arizona campus. It was October 28, 2002, when a disgruntled nursing student, 41-year-old Robert Stewart Flores Jr., embarked on a deadly rampage at the College of Nursing.
The day began like any other, with McGaffic, a dedicated clinical associate professor, administering a midterm exam to her
students. Shortly after 8:30 a.m., Flores, a Gulf War veteran who was reportedly failing his studies, entered the building armed with multiple firearms. His first victim was another professor, Robin Rogers, whom he fatally shot in her second-floor office.
Flores then proceeded to the fourth-floor classroom where McGaffic and her colleague, Barbara Monroe, were proctoring the exam. Eyewitnesses reported that Flores entered the room and, after a brief, chilling exchange, opened fire on the two professors in front of their horrified students. After shooting both women multiple times, he ordered the students to leave the room.
Once the students had fled, Robert Stewart Flores Jr. turned the gun on himself, taking his own life and leaving a scene of unimaginable carnage. The attack, which claimed the lives of three respected educators, was a targeted assault by a student facing academic failure. As the perpetrator died at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Cheryl Mallernee McGaffic, Barbara Monroe, and Robin Rogers. The incident left a lasting scar on the university community and prompted widespread discussions about campus safety and mental health.
