Luby's massacre
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| 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 |
| Death(s) | 24 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 20 |
| Belligerent(s) | George Jo Hennard |
Contents[show] |
[edit] Killings
On October 16, 1991, Hennard drove his 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the front window of a Luby's Cafeteria at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen, yelled "This is what Bell County has done to me!", then opened fire on the restaurant's 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. About 80 people were in the restaurant at the time.The first victim was local veterinarian Dr. Michael Griffith, who ran to the driver's side of the pickup truck to offer assistance after the truck came through the window. During the shooting, Hennard approached Suzanna Hupp and her parents. Hupp had a handgun in her vehicle outside. Her father charged at Hennard in an attempt to subdue him but was gunned down; a short time later, Hupp's mother was shot and killed. One patron, Tommy Vaughn, threw himself through a plate-glass window to allow others to escape. Hennard allowed a mother and her four-year-old child to leave. He 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.[1][2][3]
[edit] Victims
Fatalities from this shooting included:Name | Age | Home |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Marlin, Texas |
| Zona Mae Lynn | 45 | Marlin, Texas |
| Connie Dean Peterson | 55 | Austin, Texas |
| Ruth Marie Pujol | 36 | Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Su-zann 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
Responding to the massacre,[4] in 1995 the Texas Legislature 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. The law had been campaigned for by Suzanna Hupp, who was present at the Luby's massacre where both of her parents were shot and killed. Hupp later expressed regret for obeying the law by leaving her firearm in her car rather than keeping it on her person.[5] Hupp testified across the country in support of concealed-handgun laws, and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996.[6] The law was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush.[7] Survivors and several of the numerous law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting continue to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.[citation needed][edit] The present site
The Killeen Luby's closed after the massacre and was reopened after clean-up and redesign of the front wall of the building was complete. The restaurant struggled throughout the following years and finally shut down operations on September 9, 2000. A Chinese-American buffet, Yank Sing, occupies the building.[edit] See also
- List of massacres
- 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 preceding the Luby's massacre
- Suzanna Gratia Hupp
- Fort Hood shooting, another notorious spree shooting in the Killeen, Texas area
[edit] References
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- Killeen Daily Herald "Luby's tragedy: 15 years later" (October 15, 2006)
- 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
