George Hennard (October 15, 1956–October 16, 1991) was a mass murderer who claimed twenty-four victims at a diner in Texas, USA.
After graduating from High School he joined the US Navy, then later transferred to the Merchant Navy, from which he was discharged in 1989 for possessing marijuana as well as for making racist remarks. He was reportedly a misogynist, writing to a friend in early 1991: "Please give me the satisfaction of one day laughing in the face of all those mostly white treacherous female vipers." He lived in Bell County, Texas, and during 1991 he began to purchase several firearms.
On October 16, 1991, the day after his thirty-fifth birthday, Hennard drove to Luby's restaurant in the town of Killeen. He crashed his pick-up truck through the front window and leapt out, opening fire with two pistols, a Glock 17 and a Ruger P89, gunning down screaming diners seemingly at random.
One man managed to leap through a plate-glass window, suffering numerous cuts in the process, and allowed a number of people to escape. For reasons known only to himself, Hennard let one young woman flee unharmed, telling her to take her four-year-old daughter and leave before he continued shooting at other people.
Armed police were soon on the scene and Hennard exchanged shots with them. Injured by police bullets, Hennard staggered into the back of the restaurant where he fatally shot himself through the head. In the space of fifteen-minutes he had killed twenty-two people. A further two victims died of their injuries afterwards.
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Last updated: 05-15-2005 05:57:51
