Luby's shooting
| Luby's massacre | |
|---|---|
 A memorial in Killeen honoring the victims of the Luby's massacre | |
| Location | Killeen, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°29′22″N 73°35′14″W / 45.48944°N 73.58722°W |
| Date | October 16, 1991 12:35 p.m. – 12:51 p.m. (UTC-5) |
Attack type | Massacre, mass murder, murder-suicide |
| Weapons | Glock 17 Ruger P89 |
| Deaths | 24 (including the perpetrator) |
Injured | 20 |
| Perpetrator | George Hennard |
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder on October 16, 1991, which took place at a Luby's restaurant in Killeen, Texas, United States.
George Hennard, a thirty-five year old man, drove his blue 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the front window of a Luby's restaurant. He yelled "This is what Bell County did to me!" and started shooting customers and staff members with a Glock 17 and a Ruger P89. He shot and killed 23 people, ten of them with a single shot to the head.[1] He also wounded 20 other people. Hennard had a dislike of women and survivors of the shooting said that he went by men to shoot the women. He also announced that "All women of Killeen and Belton are vipers!"[2] He exchanged gunfire with police officers, hid in a bathroom and committed suicide.[3]
One of the survivors of the massacre was former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives Suzanna Hupp. Both her parents were killed in the shooting.
Until the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, it was the deadliest shooting rampage in American history. It is now the sixth deadliest in the United States.[4]
After the massacre, the Texas Legislature passed a shall-issue gun law in 1995, which required all qualifying applicants be issued a Concealed Handgun License (which is Texas' required permit to carry concealed weapons). To qualify for a license, the person must be free-and-clear of crimes, attend a minimum 10-hour class which is taught by a state-certified instructor, pass a 50-question test, show a high amount of skill in a 50-round shooting test, and must pass two background tests, one shallow and one deep. The license costs $140 for a four year license and applicants have to pay $10 for fingerprinting as well as instructor costs which vary. The law was campaigned by shooting survivor Suzanna Hupp and was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush.[5][6]
The restaurant closed down on September 9, 2000.[7] A Chinese-American buffet called Yank Sing is now located where the Luby's used to be.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Killeen recordings released by police". The Press-Courier. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ Terry, Don (18 October 1991). "Portrait of Texas Killer: Impatient and Troubled". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ Hayes, Thomas C. (17 October 1991). "Gunman Kills 22 and Himself in Texas Cafeteria". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ "28 years later: Remembering the Luby's massacre". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Transcription of Suzanna Hupp's testimony in favor of Missouri's HB-1720 bill". Archived from the original on 2014-05-21. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ Verhovek, Sam Howe (6 March 1995). "States Seek to Let Citizens Carry Concealed Weapons". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ↑ Cite error: The named reference
KWTXwas used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page). - ↑ "Luby's tragedy: 15 years later". The Killeen Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
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