Luby's massacre
Encyclopedia
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" 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
.
who was described to others as angry and withdrawn, with a dislike of women, drove his 1987 Ford Ranger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 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 by shooting himself. 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 it came through the window. During the shooting, Hennard approached Dr. Suzanna Hupp and her parents. She had a handgun in her vehicle outside. Her father charged at him in an attempt to subdue him but was gunned down; a short time later, her mother was shot and killed. Another patron, Tommy Vaughn, threw himself through a plate-glass window to allow others to escape. Hennard allowed a woman 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.
, 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 massacre 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 chiropractic license. She testified across the country in support of concealed handgun laws, and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
in 1996. The law was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush
.
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...
that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen
Killeen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" drove his pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
into a Luby's cafeteria
Luby's
As of March 2011, Luby's, Inc. operates restaurants under the brands Luby's, Fuddruckers and...
and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself. It was the deadliest shooting rampage in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history until the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
.
Killings
On October 16, 1991, 35-year-old George Pierre Hennard, an unemployed merchant seamanMerchant seaman
A merchant seaman describes someone employed in Merchant shipping. According to local terminology, they may be defined as being employed in:* the Merchant Marine, especially in the United States...
who was described to others as angry and withdrawn, with a dislike of women, drove his 1987 Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. The "Ranger" name had previously been used for a premium styling package on the F-Series full-sized pickup trucks since 1965. The name was moved to this line of North American compact trucks for the 1983 model year.In North...
pickup truck through the front window of a Luby's cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen, yelled "This is what Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
has done to me!", 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 by shooting himself. 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 it came through the window. During the shooting, Hennard approached Dr. Suzanna Hupp and her parents. She had a handgun in her vehicle outside. Her father charged at him in an attempt to subdue him but was gunned down; a short time later, her mother was shot and killed. Another patron, Tommy Vaughn, threw himself through a plate-glass window to allow others to escape. Hennard allowed a woman 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.
Victims
Fatalities from this shooting included:| Name | Age | Home |
|---|---|---|
| Patricia Brawn Carney | 57 | Belton, Texas Belton, Texas Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:... |
| Jimmie Eugene Caruthers | 48 | Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
| Kriemhild A. Davis | 62 | Killeen, Texas Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921... |
| Lt. Col. Steven Charles Dody | 43 | Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States military post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas.... |
| Al Gratia | 71 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Ursula Edith Marie Gratia | 67 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Debra Ann Gray | 33 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Dr. Michael Edward Griffith | 48 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Venice Ellen Henehan | 70 | Metz, Missouri Metz, Missouri Metz is a village in Vernon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 67 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Metz is located at .... |
| Clodine Delphia Humphrey | 63 | Marlin, Texas Marlin, Texas Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851... |
| Sylvia Mathilde King | 30 | Killeen, Texas Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921... |
| Zona Mae Lynn | 45 | Marlin, Texas Marlin, Texas Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851... |
| Dr. Connie Dean Peterson | 43 | Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
| Ruth Marie Pujol | 36 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Suzann Neal Rashott | 30 | San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,... |
| John Raymond Romero Jr | 33 | Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, with city limits extending into neighboring Bell and Lampasas Counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranching and farming community, today the city is the largest in Coryell County, with more than 30,000... |
| Thomas Earl Simmons | 55 | Killeen, Texas Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921... |
| Glen Arval Spivey | 44 | Harker Heights, Texas Harker Heights, Texas Harker Heights is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,308 at the 2000 census. This makes Harker Heights the 3rd largest city in Bell County, after Killeen and Temple... |
| Nancy Faye Stansbury | 44 | Harker Heights, Texas Harker Heights, Texas Harker Heights is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,308 at the 2000 census. This makes Harker Heights the 3rd largest city in Bell County, after Killeen and Temple... |
| Olgica Andonovsk Taylor | 45 | Waco, Texas Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region.... |
| James Walter Welsh | 75 | Waco, Texas Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region.... |
| Lula Belle Welsh | 64 | Waco, Texas Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region.... |
| Iva Juanita Williams | 64 | Temple, Texas Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in the region referred to as Central Texas. Located off Interstate 35, Temple is 65 miles north of Austin and 34 miles south of Waco. In the 2010 Census, Temple's population was 66,102, an... |
Consequences
Responding to the massacreMassacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
, the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
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 massacre 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 chiropractic license. She testified across the country in support of concealed handgun laws, and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
in 1996. The law was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
The present site
The location closed after the massacre and was reopened after clean-up and redesign of its front wall was complete. It struggled throughout the following years and finally shut down in 2000. A Chinese-American buffet, Yank Sing, now occupies the building.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 massacreGMAC massacreIn the GMAC massacre of June 18, 1990, James Edward Pough walked into the General Motors Acceptance Corporation Office, Jacksonville, Florida and killed nine employees and customers. He then killed himself. Four people were injured. The firearms used in the crime were a Universal .30 caliber M1...
, a shooting spree at a General Motors office that took place the year before the Luby's massacre - Suzanna Gratia HuppSuzanna HuppDr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, DC, is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, who represented traditionally Democratic District 54 for ten years from 1997-2007. Hupp is recognized as a leading advocate of an individual's right to carry a concealed weapon...
- Fort Hood shootingFort Hood shootingThe Fort Hood shooting was a mass shooting that took place on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world, located just outside Killeen, Texas. In the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others...
, another notorious spree shooting in Killeen, TexasKilleen, TexasKilleen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...