101 California Street shooting
| 101 California Street shooting | |
|---|---|
Gian Luigi Ferri
|
|
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Date | July 1, 1993 2:57 p.m. |
|
Attack type
|
Mass murder, murder-suicide, suicide attack |
| Weapons |
|
| Deaths | 9 (including the perpetrator) |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
6 |
| Perpetrator | Gian Luigi Ferri |
The 101 California Street Shooting was a mass shooting on July 1, 1993, in San Francisco, California. The killings sparked a number of legal and legislative actions that were precursors to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, H.R.3355, 103rd Congress. The Act took effect in 1994 and expired in September 2004 after the expiration of a sunset provision.
At 2:57 p.m. 55-year-old failed entrepreneurGian Luigi Ferri (born December 29, 1937, as Gianluigi Ettore Ferri) entered an office building at 101 California Street in San Francisco, and made his way to the offices of the law firm Pettit & Martin on the 34th floor. Ferri's reason for targeting the firm is unknown; P&M redirected him to alternative legal counsel about some real estate deals in the Midwest in 1981, and had no contact with him in the 12 years since. They could not advise him on matters out of state. After exiting an elevator, Ferri donned a pair of ear protectors and opened fire with a pair of TEC-9 handguns and a Norinco NP44 (a Chinese-manufactured copy of the Colt M1911 pistol). He reportedly used a mix of Black Talon hollow point and standard ammunition, and used Hellfire trigger systems for the TEC-9 pistols. After roaming the 34th floor, he moved down one floor through an internal staircase and continued shooting. The attack continued on several floors before Ferri committed suicide as San Francisco Police closed in. Eight people were killed in the attack, and six others injured.
The reason for the shootings was never determined. A typed letter left behind by Ferri contained a list of complaints, but the letter was largely unintelligible. 4 single spaced pages in length, the letter contained many grammatical errors, misspellings and was typed in all caps. Ferri claimed he had been poisoned by monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer in food, and that he had been "raped" by Pettit & Martin and other firms. The letter also contained complaints against the Food and Drug Administration, the legal profession (which he claimed gave "allegiance to the monarchy"), and a list of over 30 "criminals, rapists, racketeeres [sic], lobbyists", none of whom were among his actual victims. Pettit & Martin occupied floors 33 (partial floor) and 34 through 36. The main reception floor was 35 and Ferri intended that floor as a target. His elevator stopped at the 34th floor because a secretary from that floor had pushed the up button for an elevator. As a result, Ferri began shooting on the 34th floor and worked his way down to lower floors.
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