James Edward Pough
Encyclopedia
James Edward "Pop" Pough (February 16, 1948 – June 18, 1990) was an American mass murder
er, who, on June 18, 1990, killed nine people and wounded four others in a General Motors Acceptance Corporation
car loan office in Jacksonville, Florida
, before committing suicide. The day before he had already killed a prostitute and her pimp, wounded two teenagers and robbed a convenience store.
The shooting at the GMAC office was the worst single day massacre by a lone gunman in Florida history, surpassing the murder of eight machine shop employees in Hialeah by Carl Robert Brown
on August 20, 1982.
and was the first of nine children, grew up in an area near the Florida Community College. As a child Pough suffered from asthma and he had a close relationship to his mother, whom he helped out a lot after his father had left the family in 1959. He attended a vocational school, but dropped out in his sophomore year. At the age of 18 he began working as a common laborer, which he stayed until his death, though he earned a reputation as a very reliable worker and his business agent would later describe him as one of their best, somebody who was never late. During the last year of his life he was doing construction maintenance at a brewery
.
According to former schoolmates Pough had affiliations with gangs during his time at school. He was arrested twice in 1965 for vagrancy, and twice again in 1966, once for attempted robbery and a second time for assault for murder, after attacking a construction worker who owed him a quarter. In 1968 Pough was arrested for dangerously displaying a knife and was fined $75, and in July 1969 he was fined $10 after being charged for gambling. In 1970 he was arrested, but not prosecuted, for motor vehicle theft
and vagrancy-prowling by auto.
On May 8, 1971 Pough got into an argument with his best friend, David Lee Pender, who had called his girlfriend a bitch. In the following scuffle Pough grabbed a .38-caliber pistol from his girlfriends purse and shot Pender three times, who eventually died in hospital. According to relatives he never managed to get over the fact that he had killed his friend. Pough was initially charged with murder, though the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. In the end he pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years probation, but the judgment of guilty was withheld by the court subject to the successful completion of probation. Due to Pough's violent behavior in the past, it was also ruled that he should never be allowed to own a gun, though this was never forwarded to police. As a consequence Pough was not considered a felon and therefore was able to purchase several handguns, among them the .38-caliber revolver he later used to commit suicide, which was registered with the police on June 4, 1979. In 1977 Pough was twice in court being charged for bad debt
. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a 1982 employment compensation fraud case.
In December 1988 Pough traded his old car for a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, though he soon had difficulties to make his payments, so in January 1990 the car was voluntarily repossessed by GMAC. He received a bill for $6,394 of outstanding fees in March, and again on April 6, which was the last contact between him and the office. About two months prior to the shootings Pough purchased a M1 carbine
at a local pawnshop.
Pough, who was living in a rundown duplex in Jacksonville's Northwest Quadrant, was known by his neighbors as a quiet and nice man who kept a regular and fixed schedule, though also as someone who got angry fairly quickly and engaged in rage-filled conversations, especially in matters concerning money and his car. Relatives described him as a recluse with no friends.
After the death of his mother three years prior to the shootings Pough was said to have changed for the worse. Stating that he had nothing left to live for, he argued he would "take someone with him when he leaves this world". Frequently he had violent outbursts, which were directed against his wife, Theresa, and twice he threatened her by putting a gun to her head. In January 1990 they separated, as Mrs. Pough feared for her safety and on March 2, she was granted an injunction that disallowed James Pough to get in contact with her for a year. As a consequence he withdrew even more and rarely socialized.
and killed her with a single shot to the head, again from the M1 Carbine, before driving away. Police assumed that the reason behind these killings was a failed sex-for-money deal. A short time later Pough also shot and wounded two youths, 17 and 18 years of age, after asking them for directions.
Later that morning Pough entered a convenience store, threatened the clerk with a pistol and, stating that he doesn't have anything to lose, demanded all the money. After getting what he had asked for he left again.
At about 10:44 a.m. Pough parked his car at the General Motors Acceptance Corporation office located at 7870 Baymeadows Way in Jacksonville. He entered the building through the front door, armed with his M1 carbine, a .38-caliber revolver, several loaded magazines and his pockets packed with ammunition, and, without saying a word, immediately began shooting with the M1 carbine at two customers at the front counter. Julia Burgess was killed and 25-year-old David Hendrix was wounded by four shots. Walking through the open office he then systematically, though discontinuously moved from desk to desk and shot at the GMAC workers, often deliberately aiming at people hiding under their tables.
Drew Woods was the first to be shot at his desk, followed by Cynthia Perry and Barbara Holland nearby, as well as 42-year-old Phyllis Griggs, who was injured. When the GMAC employees realized what was going on, many of them escaped through a back door of the building, while Pough started picking off those ducking for cover, and shot, one after the other, Janice David, Sharon Hall, Jewell Belote, Lee Simonton, Denise Highfill, Ron Echevarria and Nancy Dill. He then put the .38-caliber revolver to his head and committed suicide. In just about two minutes Pough had fired at least 28 rounds from his rifle, hitting 11 of the 85 workers at the office, as well as the two customers. Six of his victims and the gunman himself died at the scene, while another three died at hospital, the last being Jewell Belote, who succumbed to his wounds nine days after the shooting.
When searching Pough's car police recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol, two magazines and ammunition, as well as twelve pieces of nylon rope, each having a length of 24 inches, which led police to the assumption that Pough initially might have intended to take hostages. When police arrived at Pough's home it had been ransacked already, though they found a calendar with two dates circled in red: May 8, the day he killed his friend Pender, and June 18.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
er, who, on June 18, 1990, killed nine people and wounded four others in a General Motors Acceptance Corporation
General Motors Acceptance Corporation
Ally Financial Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States at Tower 200 of the Renaissance Center. The bank slogan has more than 15 million customers worldwide and provides a range of financial services including auto financing, insurance, mortgage services, and...
car loan office in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, before committing suicide. The day before he had already killed a prostitute and her pimp, wounded two teenagers and robbed a convenience store.
The shooting at the GMAC office was the worst single day massacre by a lone gunman in Florida history, surpassing the murder of eight machine shop employees in Hialeah by Carl Robert Brown
Carl Robert Brown
Carl Robert Brown was an American teacher and mass murderer who killed eight people and injured another three with a shotgun in a Miami, Florida welding shop on August 20, 1982. He was later fatally shot and run down by two witnesses, when cycling away from the crime scene.-Biography:Brown was...
on August 20, 1982.
Life
Pough, who was born on February 16, 1948 in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
and was the first of nine children, grew up in an area near the Florida Community College. As a child Pough suffered from asthma and he had a close relationship to his mother, whom he helped out a lot after his father had left the family in 1959. He attended a vocational school, but dropped out in his sophomore year. At the age of 18 he began working as a common laborer, which he stayed until his death, though he earned a reputation as a very reliable worker and his business agent would later describe him as one of their best, somebody who was never late. During the last year of his life he was doing construction maintenance at a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
.
According to former schoolmates Pough had affiliations with gangs during his time at school. He was arrested twice in 1965 for vagrancy, and twice again in 1966, once for attempted robbery and a second time for assault for murder, after attacking a construction worker who owed him a quarter. In 1968 Pough was arrested for dangerously displaying a knife and was fined $75, and in July 1969 he was fined $10 after being charged for gambling. In 1970 he was arrested, but not prosecuted, for motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
and vagrancy-prowling by auto.
On May 8, 1971 Pough got into an argument with his best friend, David Lee Pender, who had called his girlfriend a bitch. In the following scuffle Pough grabbed a .38-caliber pistol from his girlfriends purse and shot Pender three times, who eventually died in hospital. According to relatives he never managed to get over the fact that he had killed his friend. Pough was initially charged with murder, though the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. In the end he pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years probation, but the judgment of guilty was withheld by the court subject to the successful completion of probation. Due to Pough's violent behavior in the past, it was also ruled that he should never be allowed to own a gun, though this was never forwarded to police. As a consequence Pough was not considered a felon and therefore was able to purchase several handguns, among them the .38-caliber revolver he later used to commit suicide, which was registered with the police on June 4, 1979. In 1977 Pough was twice in court being charged for bad debt
Bad debt
A bad debt is an amount that is written off by the business as a loss to the business and classified as an expense because the debt owed to the business is unable to be collected, and all reasonable efforts have been exhausted to collect the amount owed...
. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a 1982 employment compensation fraud case.
In December 1988 Pough traded his old car for a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, though he soon had difficulties to make his payments, so in January 1990 the car was voluntarily repossessed by GMAC. He received a bill for $6,394 of outstanding fees in March, and again on April 6, which was the last contact between him and the office. About two months prior to the shootings Pough purchased a M1 carbine
M1 Carbine
The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
at a local pawnshop.
Pough, who was living in a rundown duplex in Jacksonville's Northwest Quadrant, was known by his neighbors as a quiet and nice man who kept a regular and fixed schedule, though also as someone who got angry fairly quickly and engaged in rage-filled conversations, especially in matters concerning money and his car. Relatives described him as a recluse with no friends.
After the death of his mother three years prior to the shootings Pough was said to have changed for the worse. Stating that he had nothing left to live for, he argued he would "take someone with him when he leaves this world". Frequently he had violent outbursts, which were directed against his wife, Theresa, and twice he threatened her by putting a gun to her head. In January 1990 they separated, as Mrs. Pough feared for her safety and on March 2, she was granted an injunction that disallowed James Pough to get in contact with her for a year. As a consequence he withdrew even more and rarely socialized.
First attacks
Pough started his killing spree in the night of June 17 at about 12:50 a.m. Armed with his M1 carbine wrapped in a blanket he walked up to a group of men standing at a street corner in the northwest section of Jacksonville, not far from his home, killed Louis Carl Bacon, a pimp, with two shots in the chest and left. A couple of minutes later he attacked prostitute Doretta Drake, who was chatting with two other women in a vacant parking lot just two blocks from the first crime scene. After hitting Drake with his car, throwing her on the sidewalk, Pough stepped out of his BuickBuick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
and killed her with a single shot to the head, again from the M1 Carbine, before driving away. Police assumed that the reason behind these killings was a failed sex-for-money deal. A short time later Pough also shot and wounded two youths, 17 and 18 years of age, after asking them for directions.
Later that morning Pough entered a convenience store, threatened the clerk with a pistol and, stating that he doesn't have anything to lose, demanded all the money. After getting what he had asked for he left again.
GMAC massacre
On the morning of June 18 he visited his mother's grave a last time and then called his supervisor that he wouldn't come to work, because he had something else to do.At about 10:44 a.m. Pough parked his car at the General Motors Acceptance Corporation office located at 7870 Baymeadows Way in Jacksonville. He entered the building through the front door, armed with his M1 carbine, a .38-caliber revolver, several loaded magazines and his pockets packed with ammunition, and, without saying a word, immediately began shooting with the M1 carbine at two customers at the front counter. Julia Burgess was killed and 25-year-old David Hendrix was wounded by four shots. Walking through the open office he then systematically, though discontinuously moved from desk to desk and shot at the GMAC workers, often deliberately aiming at people hiding under their tables.
Drew Woods was the first to be shot at his desk, followed by Cynthia Perry and Barbara Holland nearby, as well as 42-year-old Phyllis Griggs, who was injured. When the GMAC employees realized what was going on, many of them escaped through a back door of the building, while Pough started picking off those ducking for cover, and shot, one after the other, Janice David, Sharon Hall, Jewell Belote, Lee Simonton, Denise Highfill, Ron Echevarria and Nancy Dill. He then put the .38-caliber revolver to his head and committed suicide. In just about two minutes Pough had fired at least 28 rounds from his rifle, hitting 11 of the 85 workers at the office, as well as the two customers. Six of his victims and the gunman himself died at the scene, while another three died at hospital, the last being Jewell Belote, who succumbed to his wounds nine days after the shooting.
When searching Pough's car police recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol, two magazines and ammunition, as well as twelve pieces of nylon rope, each having a length of 24 inches, which led police to the assumption that Pough initially might have intended to take hostages. When police arrived at Pough's home it had been ransacked already, though they found a calendar with two dates circled in red: May 8, the day he killed his friend Pender, and June 18.
Victims
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External links
- NOVA Responses in 1990
- A deadly day in Jacksonville
- 10 years since state's worst mass murder
- 10th Death in Office Shooting, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
(June 28, 1990) - Death Toll Reaches 10 In Loan Office Killings, The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
(June 28, 1990) - City tires to make sense of slaughter, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
(June 21, 1990) - Funerals held for six GMAC shooting victims, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
(June 22, 1990) - GMAC moves its offices from site of rampage, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
(June 27, 1990) - 10th GMAC victim dies, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
(June 28, 1990) - Massacre memories remain, The Prescott Courier (June 17, 1991)
- Gunman's death toll reaches 8, The Prescott Courier (June 19, 1990)
- Office shootings stir gun control debate, The Prescott Courier (June 20, 1990)
- Florida police seek rampage clues, Deseret News (June 19, 1990)
- 911 tape tells horror of Florida massacre, Deseret News (June 20, 1990)
- Nine dead in bloody rampage, Ocala Star-Banner (June 19, 1990)
- Massacre sparks calls for assault gun ban, Ocala Star-Banner (June 20, 1990)
- Investigators still unsure of motive for GMAC massacre, Ocala Star-Banner (June 21, 1990)
- Governor leads service for vicitms of massacre, Ocala Star-Banner (June 23, 1990)
- Lines again drawn on assault guns, Ocala Star-Banner (June 24, 1990)
- Killer's motives unknown, Ocala Star-Banner (June 25, 1990)
- Woman dies, ninth victim of gunman, Ocala Star-Banner (June 28, 1990)
- Woman honored for life-savinf role, Ocala Star-Banner (July 13, 1990)
- Another victim dies from gunshots, Spokane Chronicle (June 28, 1990)
- Eight slain in Florida massacre, The Milwaukee Sentinel (June 19, 1990)
- Tapes reveal terror during massacre, The Milwaukee Sentinel (June 20, 1990)
- "Loaded for war", The Free Lance–StarThe Free Lance–StarThe Free Lance–Star is the principal daily newspaper distributed throughout Fredericksburg, Virginia, with a circulation area including the city of Fredericksburg and all or parts of the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Louisa, Orange, Prince William...
(June 19, 1990) - Eight people killed in office massacre, Eugene Register-Guard (June 19, 1990)
- Police blame same gunman for shootings, Eugene Register-Guard (June 20, 1990)
- Jacksonville killing spree began over weekend, police say, Daily News of Kingsport (June 21, 1990)
- Florida killer had criminal past, police widen investigation, Daily News of Kingsport (June 22, 1990)
- Silent killer kills 10 people, himself in two days, Mohave Daily Miner (June 19, 1990)
- Tapes tell terror of shooting spree, The News (June 20, 1990)
- Gunman kills 8; may have slain others, Ludington Daily News (June 19, 1990)
- Gunman opens fire, kills nine in Florida, Wilmington Morning Star (June 19, 1990)
- Services held for shooting victims, The Gainesville SunThe Gainesville SunThe Gainesville Sun is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. It is a part of the New York Times Regional Media Group. The paper is published by James E...
(June 22, 1990) - Keystone pays respect to victims, The Gainesville SunThe Gainesville SunThe Gainesville Sun is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. It is a part of the New York Times Regional Media Group. The paper is published by James E...
(June 23, 1990) - GMAC massacre renews state assault wepaons debate, The Gainesville SunThe Gainesville SunThe Gainesville Sun is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. It is a part of the New York Times Regional Media Group. The paper is published by James E...
(June 24, 1990) - Victims families urged to go forward, The News (June 24, 1990)
- Gunman blasts his way through office, The Spokesman-Review (June 19, 1990)