The mcdonald's massacre
TRIGGER WARNING: This article mentions gun violence, the use of guns, murder, and images of pedestrians with gunshot wounds. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, please consider skipping this article.
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THE MCDONALD'S MASSACRE
By Regan Moran
On July 18, 1984, in San Ysidro, California, 21 people were killed at a McDonald's restaurant. The shooter, James Huberty, shot at the 45 random customers in McDonald's. According to a Border Report article, the surviving people spent 77 minutes locked inside the restaurant praying, crying, pleading, and hiding, in hopes that their lives would be spared. Adding to the 21 killed, 19 were injured during the shooting. To gain a better understanding of this incident, let us jump back into the year of 1942.
McDonald employees exiting McDonald's after the shooting. Photo Credit: Once Upon a Crime
James Huberty pointing his gun into the air. Photo Credit: Reddit
On Oct 11, 1942, the Huberty family welcomed a baby boy, whom they named James. James had a normal childhood, until he reached the age of three, when he contracted polio (a virus that infects a person's spinal cord which causes paralysis). When he got older, polio left him with leg and chronic issues. Later in James’s life, his mother left him and moved away. Dealing with the abandonment by his mother, James felt comforted by guns. At night, he would often go target shooting in the woods. As stated in the Murder in America podcast, his neighbors commented that “Those guns were about the only thing he liked.”
After graduating high school, James went to college to gain a degree in sociology. He then went on to receive his license in embalming at another college. After meeting a lady named Etna, they married in 1965 and had two daughters. After the birth of their daughters, the Huberty family packed up and moved to Masso, Ohio where James got a job at Dawn's Funeral Home. When everything seemed to be going right in the Huberty family, a fire broke out and burned the family home. This forced them to move back to James’s hometown in Canton, Ohio.
Portrait of James Huberty. Photo Credit: Criminal Minds Wiki
James Huberty and his family. Photo Credit: Murderpedia
While settling into their new home, James got a job at a welding company. After receiving his job, James began to be violent towards his family. As said in the Murder in America podcast concerning the McDonald’s Massacre, the Huberty daughters would often be seen with bruises and were threatened with guns by James. Both James and Etna were arrested for different acts of violence. The Huberty family was no longer seen as the “perfect family”.
When James got into a motorcycle accident and broke his arm, his employer had to let him go since he could not perform his job. After losing his job, James took a turn for the worse. He began to think that the government was after him which led him to spend thousands of dollars on food and guns. Later, he packed up his family and moved to Mexico. After being moved, The Huberty family decided to move back to the United States, specifically San Ysidro, California. As they settled down in an apartment complex, James got hired as a security guard.
Things started to look up for James and his family until he was fired from his security job. Being fired was James’s breaking point in life. He started to speak up about how he was feeling by telling his wife he had mental health issues and wanted help. He later called a mental health expert to schedule an appointment in hopes he would get the help he needed. When explaining his mental health to the receptionist, they didn't seem to think what he was describing was urgent. They told him he would get a call later that day to schedule an appointment. The clinic spelled James’ last name incorrectly and was never able to get ahold of him. He waited for hours by the phone, hoping it would ring, yet it never did.
San Ysidro City Sign. Photo Credit: Map.io
Photo of the McDonald's in San Ysidro, California. Photo Credit: Border Report
On July 18, 1984, James took his family to the local zoo and watched as his daughters were amazed by the animals. Wanting to spend more time with his family, James took his wife and daughters to the Mcdonald's restaurant-- the same Mcdonald's where James would later kill 21 people. After returning home, James gathered up his 12-gauge shotgun and 9mm semi-automatic pistol. When he was leaving, his wife asked where he was going and he replied, “I'm going to go hunt humans.” James left the apartment after saying goodbye to his family, knowing that it would be the last time he would see them.
He headed to McDonalds, which was approximately 200 feet away from his home. As stated by Border Report, James entered the McDonald's around 3:56 pm and shot first at a McDonald's employee, and then began to shoot at the 45 customers. When the police were called to the scene, they were not able to act until the SWAT team arrived. As SWAT came to the scene, the sniper was not able to get a clear shot of James. After shooting in Mcdonald's for 77 minutes, a sniper was able to get a clear shot of James, killing James on the scene.
Men helping survivors leave the McDonald's. Photo Credit: OB RAG
Woman, with a gunshot wound, being helped by a man leaving McDonald's. Photo Credit: Lenny Ignelzi
As a result of this shooting, 21 people were killed and 19 more were injured. According to Border Report, the ages of the victims ranged from infant to elderly. After this massacre, police officers' training changed dramatically. Police are now trained to take action before SWAT arrives on the scene and train for scenarios similar to this incident. This shooting left many people with haunting memories-- not just people in the restaurant, but family members of the victims, as well.
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