George Hennard
George Hennard was a U.S. Army doctor's son whose tumultuous upbringing and troubled adult life culminated in the tragic Killeen, Texas mass shooting on October 16, 1991. Hennard, who had a contentious relationship with his parents and a history of criminal behavior, perpetrated a deadly attack at Luby's Cafeteria, where he killed twenty-four people and injured twenty-two others using two handguns. His violent outburst followed years of disturbing behavior, including stalking and threats towards women, as well as an obsession with mass shootings.
The aftermath of Hennard's actions sparked significant changes in legislation both at the state level in Texas and nationally. The incident played a pivotal role in strengthening Texas's antistalking laws and influenced the Democratic Party's gun control platform during the 1992 elections. Additionally, the shooting contributed to discussions around assault weapon bans and concealed carry laws, with key figures advocating for changes in gun legislation in response to the tragedy. The case remains a poignant example of the broader societal issues surrounding gun violence and mental health.
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George Hennard
American mass murderer
- Born: October 15, 1956
- Birthplace: Sayre, Pennsylvania
- Died: October 16, 1991
- Place of death: Killeen, Texas
Cause of notoriety: Hennard murdered twenty-four people in a crowded restaurant during the noon hour; he committed suicide before being arrested.
Active: October 16,1991
Locale: Belton and Killeen, Texas
Early Life
The son of a U.S. Army doctor, George Hennard (HEHN-ahrd) moved frequently as a child, finally settling in Belton, Texas. His parents often had screaming fights, which were heard by neighbors. While Hennard’s relationship with his father appears to have been distant, his relationship with his mother was highly contentious. As an adult, he often talked of killing her and drew a picture with her head on a rattlesnake’s body.
Criminal Career
Hennard was convicted of marijuana possession in 1981. On October 17, 1989, he was expelled from the Merchant Marine for flagrant public use of marijuana. He listened obsessively to the Steely Dan song “Don’t Take Me Alive,” which was about a gunman making a last stand against the police. He also studied every detail of James Oliver Huberty’s mass murder at a McDonald’s restaurant in 1984. In May, 1991, he was charged with driving while intoxicated and with illegally carrying loaded guns in his car.
On June 5, 1991, he went to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Nevada, where his divorced mother lived, to complain about a white woman’s conspiracy against him. That summer, he stalked two teenage girls in his neighborhood, screamed obscenities at women and girls, threw rocks at children, and made threatening phone calls. The Belton police refused to intervene. His request for clemency and reinstatement in the Merchant Marine was denied on October 11.
During lunchtime on October 16, 1991, Hennard drove his meticulously maintained Ford Ranger pickup truck through the window of a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas. He jumped out of the truck and began killing people. Using a 9-millimeter Glock 17 with seventeen round magazines and a 9-millimeter Ruger P89 pistol with fifteen round magazines, he fired ninety-six shots in about four minutes. One patron, chiropractor Suzanne Gratia, had a clear shot at Hennard while his back was turned, but she had left her handgun in her car in compliance with Texas law, which forbade carrying handguns. Gratia’s parents were among the twenty-four people whom Hennard killed; Hennard wounded twenty-two more. Five police officers rushed to the scene, began shooting at Hennard, and entered the cafeteria. Wounded, Hennard retreated to a hallway, where he fatally shot himself in his head after a fierce gun battle with the officers. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States.
Impact
The George Hennard case had important ramifications for legislation passed at the state and national levels. In 1993, Texas substantially strengthened its antistalking laws to help cover cases such as that of Hennard in 1991. In 1992, the national Democratic Party specifically cited the Luby’s massacre in its gun-control platform during the presidential election. Democratic congressman Chet Edwards, who represented Central Texas, switched sides on the assault weapon issue, and his support helped the 1994 federal assault weapon ban pass by a one-vote margin. The ban, which ended in 2004, would not have applied to Hennard’s guns but did ban the manufacture of new magazines holding more than ten rounds.
Gratia (who married and took the name Gratia-Hupp) was instrumental in helping convince the Texas legislature to pass a “shall issue” bill to allow adults with a clean criminal record and who passed a safety class to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun for lawful protection. Texas governor Anne Richards vetoed the bill, a move that subsequently played a role in the loss of her reelection campaign to George W. Bush, who, a few months after taking office, signed the “shall issue” bill into law. In 1996, Gratia-Hupp was elected as a Texas state representative on a strong pro-gun platform. She continued to serve in the legislature into the twenty-first century and to speak around the country in support of “shall issue” laws.
Bibliography
Cramer, Clayton E. “Ethical Problems of Mass Murder Coverage in the Mass Media.” Journal of Mass Media Ethics 9, no. 1 (Winter, 1993-1994). Analyzes coverage of mass murders in the periodicals Time and Newsweek from 1984 to 1991 and shows that mass murders involving firearms receive far more media coverage. Also explores evidence that widespread coverage of mass murders by firearms provides an important motivation for publicity-seeking sociopaths to commit murder.
France, Alan W. Composition as a Cultural Practice. Westport, Conn.: Bergin & Garvey, 1994. A writing instructor explains how students reacted to an assignment asking them to analyze the media theme that Hennard’s crimes were motivated by his poor relationship with his mother.
Karpf, Jason, and Elinor Karpf. Anatomy of a Massacre. Waco, Tex.: WRS, 1994. Excellent analysis of Hennard’s failed adult life, his stalking of two teenagers, and information about the Killeen residents and victims.