San Ysidro McDonald's massacre
| San Ysidro McDonald's massacre | |
|---|---|
Location of San Diego County
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| Location | San Ysidro, San Diego, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 32°33′21″N 117°03′15″W / 32.55590°N 117.05417°W |
| Date | July 18, 1984 c. 3:59 p.m. – 5:17 p.m. (PDT (UTC−07:00)) |
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Attack type
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Mass shooting, mass murder |
| Weapons |
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| Deaths | 22 (including the perpetrator) |
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Non-fatal injuries
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19 |
| Perpetrator | James Huberty |
| James Huberty | |
|---|---|
James O. Huberty, pictured in October 1983
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| Born |
James Oliver Huberty October 11, 1942 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 1984 (aged 41) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Fatally shot by San Diego Police Department SWAT sniper |
| Occupation | Former welder and security guard |
| Spouse(s) | Etna Huberty |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Earl, Icle |
| Killings | |
| Date | July 18, 1984 c. 3:59 p.m.–5:17 p.m. |
| Location(s) | San Diego, California |
| Target(s) | Staff and customers of restaurant |
| Killed | 21 |
| Injured | 19 |
| Weapons |
Uzi carbine Browning HP 12-gauge Winchester 1200 |
The San Ysidro McDonald's massacre was a mass shooting that occurred in and around a McDonald's restaurant in the San Diego neighborhood of San Ysidro on July 18, 1984. The perpetrator, 41-year-old James Huberty, shot and killed 21 people and injured 19 others before being fatally shot by a SWAT team sniper.
The shooting ranked as the deadliest mass shooting committed in the United States until the 1991 Luby's shooting.
On July 15, 1984, three days before the shooting, Huberty commented to his wife, Etna, that he suspected he might have a mental problem. Two days later, on July 17, he called a mental health clinic, requesting an appointment. Leaving his contact details with the receptionist, he was assured the clinic would return his call within hours. According to his wife, he sat quietly beside the telephone for several hours, awaiting the return call, before abruptly walking out of the family home and riding to an unknown destination on his motorcycle. Unbeknownst to Huberty, the receptionist had misspelled his name as "Shouberty". His polite demeanor conveyed no sense of immediate urgency to the operator; therefore, the call was logged as a "non-crisis" inquiry, to be handled within 48 hours.
Approximately one hour later, Huberty returned home in a contented mood. After eating dinner, he, his wife, and their two daughters (aged 12 and 10) cycled to a nearby park. Later that evening, he and Etna watched a film together.
The following morning—Wednesday, July 18—Huberty took his wife and daughters to the San Diego Zoo. In the course of the walk, he told his wife his life was effectively over. Referring to the mental health clinic's failure to return his phone call the previous day, he said, "Well, society had their chance."
After eating lunch at a McDonald's restaurant in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, the Hubertys returned home. Shortly thereafter, he walked into his bedroom as his wife lay relaxing upon the bed; he leaned toward her and said, "I want to kiss you goodbye." Etna asked him where he was going, to which he replied he was "going hunting humans".
Carrying a bundle wrapped in a checkered blanket, Huberty looked toward his elder daughter, Zelia, as he walked toward the front door of the family home and said, "Goodbye. I won't be back." He drove down San Ysidro Boulevard. According to eyewitnesses, he drove first toward the Big Bear supermarket and then toward the U.S. Post Office, before entering the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant located approximately 200 yards from his apartment.
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Wikipedia