Lynwood Drake

Case record: Lynwood Drake

Status / outcome

Lynwood “Jim” Drake 3d (also styled Lynwood C. Drake III) committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while authorities were talking by phone to a woman he took hostage; the hostage was not seriously hurt.

Timeline

• Saturday evening — Drake went to a house with a pistol, killing Norm Metcalf, 27, and Danny Cizek, 32, and wounding Jeffrey Sidlin, 27; he then went to a nearby house and fatally shot Andrew Zatko, 80, his former landlord; he then went to a card club in nearby Paso Robles and killed two men and a woman; he was later found with the hostage about 10 miles away at a house in San Miguel, and while deputies were on the phone as the woman told them Drake had threatened to kill her, he shot himself in the head.
• Sunday morning — Drake shot himself once in the head at a home in the rural town of San Miguel while he was on the phone with hostage negotiators.
• Sunday — Drake was described as being on the phone with hostage negotiators in relation to his suicide.

Background

Lynwood “Jim” Drake 3d was a 43-year-old unemployed construction worker. He was also known around town as “Crazy Jim”. Another report described him as an unemployed construction worker and also described him as a 48-year-old, and further reports described him as 43 years old and 43 in other contexts.

Officials said he was apparently seeking revenge for being evicted from his home and banned from a club. Residents and police said he felt persecuted, was obsessed over his family, and blamed other card players for his gambling losses. Police said Drake and a woman were living together and were parents of one child; police also said Drake and the woman were not married. Police refused to identify the woman.

Police said Drake had been behind in his rent and had been evicted about six months earlier from a central Morro Bay rental house known to locals as the “windmill house.” Police said Andrew Zatko had argued over Drake’s eviction and that Drake shot Zatko because the men had argued over his eviction. Authorities said Drake believed the eviction had cost him his family and that “the only thing in the world that mattered to him was his family.”

Drake was described as a suicidal gambler who had gambled away all of his money. Authorities said he suffered cancer and had struggled in his relationship with his mother. Sheriff’s deputies said Drake had worked in the past as a bartender and caterer and even attended acting classes in New York. A sergeant said he was an aspiring actor and had a portfolio; it was also said that he often frequented legal card clubs in the area. A sergeant said that two days before he gunned down three people in Morro Bay and three more in Paso Robles, Drake gambled away his remaining money.

Drake called his estranged wife in North Dakota to check on the well-being of their young daughter. Police also said Drake had written a suicide note claiming a life of persecution that cost him his girlfriend and child, and the note included references to being persecuted and family.

Police said investigations continued while officials attempted to put together Drake’s background and motive.

The offence

Lynwood Drake went on a shooting spree across three central California coastal towns, killing six people and wounding another man, before committing suicide. Authorities said the killings began Saturday evening in a coastal town in central California when Drake went to a house with a pistol.

Drake took a woman hostage at a house in San Miguel. As the woman was telling deputies by phone that Drake had threatened to kill her, he shot himself in the head.

All the victims were believed to be card dealers.

Victims

Killed

• Norm Metcalf, 27
• Danny Cizek, 32
• Andrew Zatko, 80
• David Law, 41
• Kris Staub, 31
• Joe Garcia, 60

Wounded

• Jeffrey Sidlin, 27

Investigation / policing details

A sergeant of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, Sgt. Tom Wiley, described the killings as “very though-out.”

Butch Cantalupo of the Paso Robles police stated that Drake fatally shot dealers David Law and Kris Staub at the back of the cardroom. A Morro Bay Police Sgt. Gregg Beuer stated that Drake walked into Zatko’s home through unlocked front doors and that Morro Bay residents generally did not pay much attention to locking up.

Police described Drake as being found with the hostage about 10 miles away at a house in San Miguel. A bulletin was put out for Drake while officers sought him. Neighbors identified Drake as the shooter, also known as “Crazy Jim.”

Police said Drake refrained from further killing after some patrons begged for their lives.

Authorities said police believed Drake was upset because he had been banned from the cardroom as a troublemaker. Police theorized that Drake felt persecuted, was obsessed over his family, and blamed other card players for his gambling losses.

Investigators said police traced Drake to the home of another former landlord, Joanne Morrow, where he committed suicide after talking on the phone with authorities.

Arrest / custody

No arrest was described. Drake committed suicide after hostage negotiations were underway by telephone.

Trial

No trial information was present.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was present.

Appeals

No appeal information was present.

Outcome

Drake killed six people and wounded one man in shootings at two homes and a card-playing club before taking a woman hostage and killing himself. The hostage was not seriously hurt.

Suicide note and verbatim quotations

In a suicide note, Drake wrote: “I Jesse Cole Younger killed 3 men because they took my wife, family and daughter from me.”

In another suicide note quotation, he wrote: “I have been persecuted my whole life . . . damn the American family to hell. God forgive me,” and the note was found in his coat pocket hours after his death.

A report quoted a remark from a detective:

Sgt. Tom Wiley described the killings with: “very though-out.”

A Morro Bay Police Sgt. Gregg Beuer said: “Zatko was very well-liked,” and also said: “I think most people around here know who he is. He was sort of a character.”

Beuer also said: “He wanted to get Metcalfe, that's what he was there for,” and described Drake’s motive with: “He thought the eviction had cost him his family,” and “The only thing in the world that mattered to him was his family.”

Detective Sgt. Greg Beuer said: “that no one told police,” and also described Drake as being “so regarded as a "nut" that no one told police,” though the account connected these remarks with comments about threats.

Police said Drake harshly criticized his parents and a sister for his troubles in a suicide note found in his pants pocket. No exact wording of that criticism was provided in the material.

Detective Sgt. Greg Beuer also had a quotation about threats and risk of disclosure: “One of those threats was made Saturday, the day of the murders.”

Sgt. Candi Jones said: “He was an aspiring actor. He did have a portfolio,” and also said: “That's not uncommon . . . in a situation where somebody who's going to do something drastic--take a life or take his own life--trying to tie up the loose ends and finish off old business,” the sergeant said.

John Askins said: “There was a lot of door-locking going on after we learned what happened,” and also: “Some of those doors will probably stay locked now.”

Mugs Haugen said: “Its very scary that it happened here,” and “But it's not like we're having a crime wave.” She also said: “The reason I'm here is because of these guys,” and “I want them to be safe.” She also said: “I love it here,” and “This won't change anything.”

Drake’s “wife” reference was discussed as part of the suicide note.

Other details

Drake’s personal details described in the material

Lynwood Drake was described as Lynwood “Jim” Drake 3d, and also as Lynwood C. Drake III. He was described with ages including 43 and 48, and one report described him as 43 while detailing cancer and acting activities. He was described as having undergone seven surgeries for cancer in one leg, and a doctor told authorities the condition was not life-threatening.

Sheriff’s deputies said he worked as a bartender and caterer and attended acting classes in New York.

Police said he had been living in his car and that he entered Zatko’s home and shot him once in the neck, killing him. Zatko was found by his live-in companion, Gladys Walton.

Witnesses reported that Metcalfe's daughter and Sidlin ran from the house during the shooting but were ignored by Drake, who left a short time later.

Police said Drake then drove to the home of Norman Metcalfe, who had earlier helped Zatko in the eviction and had testified against Drake; the material named Norman Metcalfe in that account and separately listed Norm Metcalf, 27, as one of the killed victims.

Police said Drake fatally shot Norman Metcalfe between the eyes with a .32-caliber pistol. During a struggle for the gun, Danny Cizek was killed and another friend, Jeffrey Sidlin, was wounded.

At Oak’s Card Parlor in Paso Robles, Drake fatally shot dealers David Law and Kris Staub at the back of the cardroom. Drake then shot local customer Joe Garcia, 60, who was trying to get out a door while about 10 other patrons scrambled for their lives.

Authorities said the weekend slayings were the first in five years in Morro Bay, according to police, and that the weekend slayings were the first multiple murders in the city in more than a dozen years.

A report stated that police announced Drake was at large after shooting three Morro Bay men to death, and that by the time the night was over Drake killed three more people and then committed suicide.

A report named a person, Joanne Morrow, as another former landlord connected to where police traced Drake before he committed suicide.

A report described the scene and reactions in Morro Bay, including door-locking, residents’ comments, and the prominence of Andrew Zatko in the community. It also stated that Zatko had been popular with the fishing community for efforts to commemorate sailors who had died at sea.

A report also stated that police believed Drake had threatened to kill the hostage and that deputies were speaking to the hostage by phone when Drake shot himself.

A detective said: “He did have a portfolio,” and a police officer described Zatko as “sort of a character,” and other residents described the event as very scary while saying it was not like a crime wave.

A report included the phrase: “Gunman hunts down, kills six; then commits suicide” and another phrase: “Gunman Kills 6 Then Himself in California.” These were presented as headlines and did not add new factual particulars beyond the described events and outcome.

Dates and reporting

The material included publication dates tied to multiple outlets, including November 9, 1992, November 10, 1992, and November 11, 1992, corresponding to the described reporting about the spree, suicide, and background details.