Monday, January 03, 2005
McDonald's Massacre
On July 18, 1984, 41-year-old James Oliver Huberty walked into a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, a suburb of San Diego, California, and opened fire with an arsenal of guns, killing 21 people and wounding 19. Huberty's murderous rampage ended 257 rounds and 77 minutes later when he was shot dead by a police marksman stationed on the roof next door. The victims ranged in age from eight months to 74 years. Huberty was a welder in Massillon, Ohio, when he lost his job and decided to move to California with his wife and two children. He worked as a security guard in San Diego but was fired for failing to perform his job properly. One week later, he called a mental health center asking for an appointment, and a receptionist took his name but did not call him back. The next day--July 18, 1984-- Huberty took an Uzi submachine gun , a shotgun, and a semiautomatic pistol to McDonald's and killed 21 diners. It was the worst one-day massacre in the United States to that date. Huberty's wife later filed a $5 million suit against McDonald's, claiming that her husband's rampage was caused by eating too many Chicken McNuggets. McDonald's tore down the San Ysidro restaurant and gave the property to the city, which eventually opened a community college campus on the site. In front of the school is a memorial to Huberty's victims that consists of 21 hexagonal granite pillars ranging in height from one to six feet.
Sometimes you just need to call back.
On July 18, 1984, 41-year-old James Oliver Huberty walked into a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, a suburb of San Diego, California, and opened fire with an arsenal of guns, killing 21 people and wounding 19. Huberty's murderous rampage ended 257 rounds and 77 minutes later when he was shot dead by a police marksman stationed on the roof next door. The victims ranged in age from eight months to 74 years. Huberty was a welder in Massillon, Ohio, when he lost his job and decided to move to California with his wife and two children. He worked as a security guard in San Diego but was fired for failing to perform his job properly. One week later, he called a mental health center asking for an appointment, and a receptionist took his name but did not call him back. The next day--July 18, 1984-- Huberty took an Uzi submachine gun , a shotgun, and a semiautomatic pistol to McDonald's and killed 21 diners. It was the worst one-day massacre in the United States to that date. Huberty's wife later filed a $5 million suit against McDonald's, claiming that her husband's rampage was caused by eating too many Chicken McNuggets. McDonald's tore down the San Ysidro restaurant and gave the property to the city, which eventually opened a community college campus on the site. In front of the school is a memorial to Huberty's victims that consists of 21 hexagonal granite pillars ranging in height from one to six feet.
Sometimes you just need to call back.
