Luby's massacre
| Luby's massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Killeen, Texas, United States |
| Date | Wednesday, October 16, 1991 12:35 p.m. – 12:51 p.m. (UTC-5) |
| Target | Luby's |
| Attack type | Massacre, mass murder |
| Weapon(s) | Glock 17, Ruger P89 |
| Deaths | 24 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 20 |
| Perpetrator(s) | George Hennard |
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen, Texas, United States when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" [1] drove his pickup truck into a Luby's cafeteria and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself. It was the deadliest shooting rampage in American history until the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.
Contents |
[edit] Killings
On October 16, 1991, 35-year-old George Pierre Hennard, an unemployed merchant seaman who was described by others as angry and withdrawn, with a dislike of women, drove his blue 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the front window of a Luby's cafeteria at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen. Yelling "This is what Bell County has done to me!", Hennard then opened fire on its patrons and staff with a Glock 17 pistol and, later, a Ruger P89. He stalked, shot, and killed 23 people while wounding another 20 before committing suicide. Approximately 80 people were in the restaurant at the time.
The first victim was local veterinarian Dr. Michael Griffith, 48, who ran to the driver's side of the pickup truck to offer assistance to the driver after the truck came through the window. Hennard also approached 32-year-old Suzanna Hupp and her parents. Her father Al, 71, rushed at Hennard in an attempt to subdue him but was gunned down. A short time later, Hupp's mother Ursula, 67, was also shot and killed.
During the massacre, Hennard allowed a woman and her four-year-old child to leave. Another patron, Tommy Vaughn, threw a chair through a plate-glass window, which provided an escape route for himself and other customers.
Hennard reloaded several times and still had ammunition remaining when he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head after being cornered and wounded by police.[2][3][4]
[edit] Victims
Fatalities from this shooting included:
| Name | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Patricia Brawn Carney | 57 | Belton, Texas |
| Jimmie Eugene Caruthers | 48 | Austin, Texas |
| Kriemhild A. Davis | 62 | Killeen, Texas |
| Lt. Col. Steven Charles Dody | 43 | Fort Hood, Texas |
| Al Gratia | 71 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Ursula Edith Marie Gratia | 67 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Debra Ann Gray | 33 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Dr. Michael Edward Griffith | 48 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Venice Ellen Henehan | 70 | Metz, Missouri |
| Clodine Delphia Humphrey | 63 | Marlin, Texas |
| Sylvia Mathilde King | 30 | Killeen, Texas |
| Zona Mae Lynn | 45 | Marlin, Texas |
| Dr. Connie Dean Peterson | 43 | Austin, Texas |
| Ruth Marie Pujol | 36 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Suzann Neal Rashott | 30 | San Antonio, Texas |
| John Raymond Romero Jr | 33 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Thomas Earl Simmons | 55 | Killeen, Texas |
| Glen Arval Spivey | 44 | Harker Heights, Texas |
| Nancy Faye Stansbury | 44 | Harker Heights, Texas |
| Olgica Andonovsk Taylor | 45 | Waco, Texas |
| James Walter Welsh | 75 | Waco, Texas |
| Lula Belle Welsh | 64 | Waco, Texas |
| Iva Juanita Williams | 64 | Temple, Texas |
[edit] Consequences
In response to the massacre,[5] the Texas Legislature in 1995 passed a shall-issue gun law, which requires that all qualifying applicants be issued a Concealed Handgun License (the state's required permit to carry concealed weapons), removing the personal discretion of the issuing authority to deny such licenses. To qualify for a license, one must be free-and-clear of crimes, attend a minimum 10-hour class taught by a state-certified instructor, pass a 50-question test, show proficiency in a 50-round shooting test, and pass two background tests, one shallow and one deep. The license costs $240 to $290, depending on the added instructor's fee.
The law had been campaigned for by Dr. Suzanna Hupp, who was present at the time of the shootout where both of her parents were shot and killed. She later expressed regret for obeying the law by leaving her firearm in her car rather than keeping it on her person due to the fact that it could have cost her her chiropractic license.[6] She testified across the country in support of concealed handgun laws, and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996.[7] The law was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush.[8]
[edit] The present site
The location closed after the massacre and reopened after clean-up and redesign of its front wall were completed. It struggled throughout the following years and closed permanently on September 9, 2000.[9] A Chinese-American buffet, Yank Sing, now occupies the former location.[10]
[edit] See also
- List of massacres in Texas
- San Ysidro McDonald's massacre, a similar incident involving mass murder at a popular restaurant
- Edmond U.S. Post Office massacre
- GMAC massacre, a shooting spree at a General Motors office that took place the year before the Luby's massacre
- Suzanna Gratia Hupp
- Fort Hood shooting, another notorious spree shooting in Killeen, Texas
[edit] References
- ^ "A Texas Massacre". People Magazine (vol. 36, no. 17). 1991. 11/04/1991. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20111193,00.html. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ^ Hayes, Thomas C (October 17, 1991). "Gunman Kills 22 and Himself in Texas Cafeteria". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9C04E3D8113BF934A25753C1A967958260. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ KWTX, Luby’s Massacre Remains Among Nation’s Worst Mass Shootings
- ^ Kelly, Steve (1991-12-06). "Texas Chiropractor -- One of 24 Slain in Tragedy". Dynamic Chiropractic 09 (25). http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/09/25/08.html. Retrieved 2006-12-02.
- ^ Douglas, Carlyle C (1991-10-20). "Dead: 23 Texans and 1 Anti-Gun Measure". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0D91031F933A15753C1A967958260. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ Transcription of Suzanna Hupp's testimony in favor of Missouri's HB-1720 bill
- ^ "U.S. Department of Justice, National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women, Biographical Information". justice.gov. 2006-06-19. http://www.justice.gov/archive/ovw/docs/nac_web_bios.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (1995-03-06). "States Seek to Let Citizens Carry Concealed Weapons". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DB1438F935A35750C0A963958260. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/7048182.html
- ^ http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=12299
- San Antonio Express-News Guns in America, Part II, "Texas massacre, fear of crime spur concealed-gun laws"
- Hupp's comments to congress on surviving the massacre and losing her parents to Hennard.
- People A Texas Massacre
Coordinates: 31°05′37″N 97°43′26″W / 31.09361°N 97.72389°W
