Anthony Barbaro

Timeline

• December 30, 1974 — Anthony F. Barbaro left his house with his mother's car, went to Olean High School, entered through an opened side entrance, set off a smoke bomb on the third floor, was confronted by a custodian who pulled the fire alarm, and then shot and killed the custodian; Barbaro positioned himself in the student council room on the third floor and began shooting at people outside the school; by 5:20 p.m., over 50 local and county police officers surrounded the school and a National Guard armored vehicle arrived; two police officers and four National Guardsmen entered and threw two tear gas grenades into the student council room where Barbaro was found unconscious; police said Barbaro had fired 31 shots; three people were killed and eleven others were injured.
• December 31, 1974 — Anthony Barbaro was arraigned on three counts of second-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault, and five counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; he was being held without bail at the Olean City Jail.
• February 1974 — Barbaro was inducted into the National Honor Society.
• December 1974 — Barbaro won a Regents Scholarship to New York University that December.
• April 1975 — Barbaro entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
• October 21, 1975 — A grand jury was seated for Barbaro's trial at the Olean Municipal Building.
• October 27, 1975 — Defense attorney Vincent E. Doyle, Jr. presented testimony at a preliminary hearing that Barbaro had a “serious, deep-rooted mental illness that precluded his [Barbaro's] conviction.”
• November 1, 1975 — Barbaro was found to have hanged himself with a bedsheet in his cell at the Cattaraugus County Jail; Cattaraugus County coroner Dr. Harry C. Law ruled the death a suicide.

Background

Anthony F. Barbaro was a 17-year-old lifelong Olean resident and an honor student at Olean High School. He was a member of the school's rifle team and ranked eighth highest academic score in his senior class. He was inducted into the National Honor Society in February 1974 and won a Regents Scholarship to New York University in December 1974.

Barbaro lived in Olean, New York, with his parents and his three younger siblings—sister Cecile and brothers Steven and Chris. His father was an executive of a successful manufacturing firm. Anthony worked with his mother at a local fast-food restaurant. He had shown an interest in engineering and hoped to become a scientist.

Those who knew Barbaro remembered him as quiet, and his school principal described him as a “loner”. Louis Nicol, former principal of Olean High School, said that Barbaro excelled scholastically and caused no disciplinary problems at school.

A teammate of Barbaro on the school's rifle team recalled Barbaro having spoken of wanting to “hold up” the Olean Armory and engage in a police-standoff. Barbaro had just tried out for the bowling team but did not qualify.

Police found no apparent motives as to why Barbaro committed his crimes.

The offence

The Olean High School shooting occurred on December 30, 1974 at Olean High School in Olean, New York, United States.

Barbaro left his house with his mother's car and told his brother Chris that he was going to target shoot. He arrived at Olean High School at approximately 2:50 p.m. He then entered the school building through an opened side entrance and proceeded to the third floor. There, he set off a smoke bomb.

A custodian confronted Barbaro, and the custodian pulled the fire alarm while investigating the smoke. Barbaro then shot and killed the custodian.

Barbaro positioned himself in the student council room on the third floor of the school. From there, he began shooting at people outside the school.

A 12-man custodial crew was doing routine maintenance in the basement of the school during the shooting.

By 5:20 p.m., over 50 local and county police officers were surrounding the school building, and a National Guard armored vehicle had arrived to remove injured victims. Two police officers and four national guardsmen soon entered the school and threw two tear gas grenades into the student council room. Barbaro was found unconscious inside the room wearing a defective gas mask. Barbaro was laid onto a stretcher and transported by ambulance to the Olean City Jail. Police said Barbaro had fired 31 shots.

Victims and injuries

Three people were killed and another 11 people were injured.

The killed were:

• Earl Metcalf, 62 — killed inside the school building.
• Neal Pilon, 58 — shot while crossing the street outside of the school.
• Carmen Wright Drayton, 25 — shot in the head inside her car while driving by the school; she was six months pregnant.

Both Pilon and Wright were pronounced “dead on arrival” at Olean General Hospital.

Seven people survived the shooting with gunshot wounds. Four other people sustained injuries from flying glass fragments.

Eight of the wounded victims were Olean city firemen responding to a fire complaint at the school.

Wounded survivors were:

• Albert J. Abdo, 37 — Olean
• Wayne L. Dutton — Hinsdale
• Wayne Dutton's son — Hinsdale
• Herbert Van Elmore, 43 — Olean
• William Robert Fromme, 35 — Olean
• David A. Grosse, 28 — Olean
• Raymon C. Limerick, 40 — Olean
• Capt. Joseph John Snopkowski, 55 — Olean
• Earl R. Weidt, 23 — Olean
• George H. Williams — Olean
• Julius A. Wright, 12 — Portville

Investigation and evidence

Following the shooting, police found homemade propane bombs in Barbaro's bedroom, as well as bomb recipes and a journal that detailed his plans of the shooting.

Barbaro had fired 31 shots, according to police.

Arrest and custody

After being found unconscious in the student council room and transported by ambulance, Barbaro was taken to the Olean City Jail.

Following the shooting, Barbaro was held without bail at the Olean City Jail.

Barbaro was soon transferred from the Olean City Jail to the Cattaraugus County Jail in Little Valley.

Trial and legal proceedings

On December 31, 1974, Anthony Barbaro was arraigned on three counts of second-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault, and five counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

In April 1975, Barbaro entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Two court-appointed psychiatrists found him competent to stand trial.

On October 21, 1975, a grand jury was seated for Barbaro's trial at the Olean Municipal Building.

On October 27, defense attorney Vincent E. Doyle, Jr. presented testimony at a preliminary hearing, stating that Barbaro had a “serious, deep-rooted mental illness that precluded his [Barbaro's] conviction.”

Sentencing

No sentencing was recorded.

Appeals

No appeal was recorded.

Outcome

On November 1, 1975, Barbaro hanged himself with a bedsheet in his cell at the Cattaraugus County Jail. Cattaraugus County coroner Dr. Harry C. Law ruled the death a suicide.

Three suicide notes were found on his bed in his cell:

• One note was addressed to his family.
• Another note was addressed to a woman he corresponded with in prison.
• The third note was addressed “to whom it may concern”. The third note read:

People are not afraid to die, it's just how they die. I don't fear death, but rather the pain. But no more. I regret the foods I'll never taste, the music I'll never hear, the sites I'll never see, the accomplishments I'll never accomplish, in other words, I regret my life. Some will always ask, 'Why?' I don't know — no one will. What has been, can't be changed. I'm sorry. It ends like it began; in the middle of the night, someone might think it selfish or cowardly to take one's own life. Maybe so, but it's the only free choice I have. The way I figure, I lose either way. If I'm found not guilty, I won't survive the pain I've caused — my guilt. If I'm convicted, I won't survive the mental and physical punishment of my life in prison.

Barbaro had also written a note explaining his motives. He wrote:

“I guess I just wanted to kill the person I hate most -- myself, I just didn't have the courage. I wanted to die, but I couldn't do it, so I had to get someone to do it for me. It didn't work out.”

Other details

Barbaro left his house with his mother's car and told his brother Chris that he was going target shooting.

Louis Nicol described Barbaro as excelling scholastically and causing no disciplinary problems at school, and others remembered Barbaro as quiet and his school principal described him as a “loner”.

During the shooting response, National Guard armored vehicle support and tear gas were used; two police officers and four national guardsmen entered the school and threw two tear gas grenades into the student council room.