1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting
| 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting | |
|---|---|
The Merillon Avenue station (pictured in 2011) is the site of the 1993 shooting
|
|
| Location | Merillon Avenue, Garden City, Long Island, New York |
| Date | December 7, 1993 (EST) |
| Target | LIRR commuters |
|
Attack type
|
Mass shooting |
| Weapons | Ruger P89 9mm pistol |
| Deaths | 6 |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
19 |
| Perpetrators | Colin Ferguson |
| Motive | Perceived Racism & White Supremacy |
| Convicted | February 17, 1995 |
| Charges | 6 counts of murder, 19 counts of attempted murder |
| Colin Ferguson | |
|---|---|
Prison Mugshot
|
|
| Born |
Colin Ferguson January 14, 1958 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Criminal penalty | 315 years and eight months to life |
| Spouse(s) | Audrey Warren (1986–1988) |
| Parent(s) | Von Herman Ferguson May Ferguson |
| Killings | |
| Date | December 7, 1993 |
| Location(s) | Merillon Avenue, Garden City, Long Island, New York |
| Target(s) | Commuters |
| Killed | 6 |
| Injured | 19 |
| Weapon | Ruger P89 9 mm pistol |
On December 7, 1993, as a Long Island Rail Road train pulled into the Merillon Avenue station in Garden City, New York, a passenger, identified as Colin Ferguson, pulled out his gun and started firing at other passengers. He killed six and wounded nineteen before being stopped by three of the passengers: Kevin Blum, Mark McEntee, and Mike O'Connor. Ferguson's trial was notable for a number of unusual developments, including his firing of his defense counsel and insisting on representing himself and questioning his own victims on the stand.
On February 17, 1995, Ferguson was convicted of the six murders. He was also convicted of attempted murder for wounding nineteen passengers. As of 2016, he is serving his sentence of 315 years and 8 months to life at the Upstate Correctional Facility in Franklin County, New York.
On December 7, 1993, Ferguson purchased a ticket for the 5:33 p.m. eastbound train at the Atlantic Avenue station in Brooklyn. This train stopped at the Jamaica station in Queens. Ferguson boarded the third car of the eastbound Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuter train from Penn Station to Hicksville, along with more than 80 other passengers. Ferguson, who sat on the southwestern end of the car, was carrying his handgun and a canvas bag filled with 160 rounds of ammunition.
As the train approached the Merillon Avenue station, Ferguson drew the gun, dropped several cartridges on the ground, stood up, and opened fire at random. During the next three minutes, Ferguson killed six people and injured another 19. Some passengers mistook the gunshots for caps or fireworks until a woman shouted, "He's got a gun! He's shooting people!" Ferguson walked east on the train, pulling the trigger steadily about every half second. Several passengers tried to hide beneath their seats, while others fled to the eastern end of the train and tried to go into the next car. Ferguson walked down the aisle of the train and shot people to his right and left as he passed each seat, briefly facing each victim before firing. The New York Times later wrote the motions were "as methodical as if he were taking tickets". Ferguson said, "I'm going to get you", over and over as he walked down the aisle.
...
Wikipedia