Lindhurst High School shooting
Encyclopedia
The Lindhurst High School shooting was a school shooting and subsequent siege that occurred on May 1, 1992 at Lindhurst High School
in Olivehurst, California
, United States. The gunman, 22-year-old Eric Houston, was a former student at Lindhurst High School. Houston killed three students and one teacher, and wounded nine others before Houston surrendered to police.
Lindhurst High School, where the shooting took place, has a multiethnic student body, most from poor and working class backgrounds.
The 1997 film, Detention: The Siege at Johnson High
is based on the Lindhurst High School shooting.
Eric Houston arrived on campus armed with a 12-gauge pump-action
shotgun
and a sawed off .22 caliber rifle
around 2:40 p.m. on May 1st. As he entered the school, he fatally shot teacher Robert Brens, his Civics
teacher during his senior year. He then shot and killed Judy Davis, a 17-year-old student inside Brens' classroom. Houston then walked through the hallway outside the classroom and fatally shot student Jason Edward White in the chest. Further on Houston pointed his shotgun at a female student, but before he could fire his weapon another student, Beamon A. Hill, pushed her aside and took the shotgun blast to the side of his head.
Houston then entered a classroom with about 25 to 30 students inside. According to reports, Houston would send a student to retrieve more hostages, and eventually held over 80 students hostage. He engaged in an eight-hour standoff with police before surrendering to authorities.
While in police custody, Eric Houston stated that he was despondent over losing his job and was angered that he failed to graduate from high school or obtain a GED. He claimed to be "out of touch with reality" when he committed the murders. He also confessed to holding a grudge against his former Civics teacher Robert Brens, who failed Houston in his class. On September 21, 1993 Houston was found guilty on all charges against him, and was sentenced to death. He is currently awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison
. Eric Houston also stated that he had not warned the school that he was coming on campus as some alleged. His statements were introduced as evidence in both the civil and criminal trials.
A memorial park was erected on McGowan Parkway in Olivehurst, California in remembrance of the four people who died that day, as reported to this editor by a local resident who was friends with Jason White at the time of the shooting.
Lindhurst High School
Lindhurst High School is located in Olivehurst, California, USA. It is one of two high schools in the Marysville Joint Unified School District and draws students from the communities of Olivehurst, Linda, Plumas Lake, and Marysville...
in Olivehurst, California
Olivehurst, California
Olivehurst is a census-designated place in Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 13,656 at the 2010 census, up from 11,061 at the 2000 census...
, United States. The gunman, 22-year-old Eric Houston, was a former student at Lindhurst High School. Houston killed three students and one teacher, and wounded nine others before Houston surrendered to police.
Lindhurst High School, where the shooting took place, has a multiethnic student body, most from poor and working class backgrounds.
The 1997 film, Detention: The Siege at Johnson High
Detention: The Siege at Johnson High
Detention: The Siege at Johnson High is a 1997 drama thriller film based on the Lindhurst High School shooting which was a high school shooting and siege on May 1, 1992. The film stars Rick Schroder, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Katie Wright, Alexis Cruz, and Henry Winkler...
is based on the Lindhurst High School shooting.
Eric Houston arrived on campus armed with a 12-gauge pump-action
Pump-action
A pump-action rifle or shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one. It is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be removed from...
shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
and a sawed off .22 caliber rifle
Short barreled rifle
Short-barreled rifle is a legal designation in the United States, referring to a shoulder-fired, rifled firearm with a barrel length of less than 16 inches or overall length of less than 26 inches . In the United States, an SBR is an item regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and...
around 2:40 p.m. on May 1st. As he entered the school, he fatally shot teacher Robert Brens, his Civics
Civics
Civics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens ― as opposed to external factors ― in the operation and oversight of government....
teacher during his senior year. He then shot and killed Judy Davis, a 17-year-old student inside Brens' classroom. Houston then walked through the hallway outside the classroom and fatally shot student Jason Edward White in the chest. Further on Houston pointed his shotgun at a female student, but before he could fire his weapon another student, Beamon A. Hill, pushed her aside and took the shotgun blast to the side of his head.
Houston then entered a classroom with about 25 to 30 students inside. According to reports, Houston would send a student to retrieve more hostages, and eventually held over 80 students hostage. He engaged in an eight-hour standoff with police before surrendering to authorities.
While in police custody, Eric Houston stated that he was despondent over losing his job and was angered that he failed to graduate from high school or obtain a GED. He claimed to be "out of touch with reality" when he committed the murders. He also confessed to holding a grudge against his former Civics teacher Robert Brens, who failed Houston in his class. On September 21, 1993 Houston was found guilty on all charges against him, and was sentenced to death. He is currently awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
. Eric Houston also stated that he had not warned the school that he was coming on campus as some alleged. His statements were introduced as evidence in both the civil and criminal trials.
A memorial park was erected on McGowan Parkway in Olivehurst, California in remembrance of the four people who died that day, as reported to this editor by a local resident who was friends with Jason White at the time of the shooting.