Police treated the incident as a hate crime, and Robida was sought by police for three counts of attempted murder.
Other patrons tackled him and relieved him of the weapon, whereupon Robida produced a handgun and began shooting, wounding at least three more people. After a second drink Robida then swung a hatchet at a patron's head, injuring him. After downing his first drink, he asked the bartender if the lounge was a gay bar. The 18-year-old, dressed in black, proceeded to order a drink using a fake ID indicating he was 23. About midnight on February 2, 2006, Robida entered Puzzles Lounge, a popular gay bar in New Bedford, Massachusetts, 50 miles (80 km) south of Boston.
