George Jo Hennard

Case overview

George Jo Hennard carried out a mass killing at a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, United States on October 16, 1991. He drove his pickup truck through the front window of the restaurant, entered, and opened fire on patrons and staff. He then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head after police cornered and wounded him the same day.

Timeline

• October 16, 1991 — George Hennard drove a pickup truck through the front window of a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen and shot patrons and staff with a Glock 17 pistol and later a Ruger P89, killing 23 and wounding 20 before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head after being cornered and wounded by police.

Background

George Jo Hennard lived in Belton, Texas, and stopped at a convenience store in Belton to buy breakfast multiple mornings a week, ordering the same items each time: a sausage-and-biscuit sandwich, orange juice, doughnuts, and a newspaper. Neighbors and acquaintances described him as a loner who behaved as if he hated the whole world, and he was reported to have frightened people with outbursts, phone calls, and a letter referring to “female vipers.”

Investigators and acquaintances described a hostile attitude toward women and minorities, and described his behavior as increasingly bizarre before the attack. A sister of the gunman, Desiree Hennard, apologized for his rampage but denied that her brother was driven by a hatred of women.

Hennard was born in Sayre, Penn. His father, Dr. Georges Marcel Hennard, worked in orthopedics and was a resident at a time when Hennard’s family lived in Sayre. Hennard’s mother was Gloria Jeanne, and his younger siblings were Alan Robert and Desiree.

Hennard and his family were shuttled across the country due to his father’s work at various Army hospitals. People who knew Hennard as a child described him as outgoing and good-looking before behavior changed after a fight with his father. Hennard kept to himself through high school and was described as never hanging around with anybody and not being seen with girls.

After graduating in 1974, Hennard joined the Navy and three years later signed up with the Merchant Marine. His seaman’s papers were suspended after a reported racial argument with a shipmate in May 1982. He was arrested for marijuana possession in Texas in 1981 and later had his seaman’s papers lifted again after another marijuana possession incident aboard a cargo ship in 1989. In 1989, he enrolled in a substance-abuse program in Houston shortly after losing his seaman’s license again for marijuana possession aboard a cargo ship.

Hennard legally purchased two pistols—a Ruger P89 and a Glock 17—in Henderson in February 1991. His behavior became increasingly bizarre in the period before the attack.

A rambling five-page letter from Hennard, dated to June, was sent to two sisters in Belton. The sisters were Jill Fritz, 23, and Jana Jernigan, 19. The letter asked “You think the three of us can get together some day ((sic))?” and included hateful language about “female vipers,” including:

“Please give me the satisfaction of someday laughing in the face of all those mostly white tremendously female vipers . . . who tried to destroy me and my family.”

In the same set of reports, a later quotation of a letter sent in June to Jana Jernigan and Jill Fritz included additional language about Belton, Texas and “female vipers.” The letter text included:

“It is very ironic about Belton, Texas. I found the best and worst in women there. You and sister are the one side. Then the abundance of evil women that make up the worst on the other side. ... I will no matter what prevail over the female vipers in those two rinky-dink towns in Texas. ”

Hennard’s co-workers and neighbors described escalating statements in the run-up to the attack. A coworker, Bubba Hawkins, said that about a week and a half before the massacre Hennard picked up his paycheck at a cement company in Copperas Cove, announced he was quitting, and wondered aloud what would happen if he killed someone, while saying “Watch and see, watch and see.” Another report said that on Oct. 15, his birthday, he spoke briefly with his mother on the phone.

The day before the attack, Clarence Thomas’s confirmation hearings were broadcast and Hennard was described as reacting with rage to an interview with Anita Hill. A manager, Bill Stringer, said:

“He started screaming, 'You dumb bitch! You bastards opened the door for all the women!' ”

The offence

On October 16, 1991, Hennard drove his 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the front window of a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway. Approximately 80 people were in the restaurant at the time.

Hennard began firing immediately with a Glock 17 pistol and later a Ruger P89. Witnesses described hearing gunfire and Hennard shooting methodically through the restaurant.

Witnesses described Hennard’s statements during the shooting. Reported shouted statements included:

“This is payback day!” “This is what Bell County did to me!” “Is it worth it? Tell me, is it worth it?” “You bitch” “Hiding from me, bitch?” “Bitch!” “Take that, bitch!” “Is it all worth it, what they have done to me in Texas and Belton?”

A group seated at a big round table included Sam Wink, 47, an attendance officer for the Killeen Independent School District, and some fellow employees who were treating their boss to lunch on October 16, 1991. As Wink described, the truck crashed into the cafeteria and he heard sounds like light bulbs popping. Hennard was reported to have been armed with a pistol in each hand, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and shirt and pockets bulging with clips. Wink said:

“Then I heard sounds like light bulbs popping.”

Auto mechanic Tommy Vaughan, 28, described escaping through a window he broke by hurling himself through it. Vaughan stated:

“As time goes by, I think about things I could have done that would have ended things more quickly,” and added: “But I'll say this: I now understand what it means to be paralyzed with fear. That's how we all were feeling.”

Dr. Shawn Isdale, 31, a chiropractor from nearby Harker Heights, was there with his wife, infant daughter, and parents. Isdale described Hennard’s composure as having a relaxed face with no emotion at all. He said:

“His whole face was completely relaxed, no emotion at all,” and described seeing Hennard shoot Steve Ernst, and hear “Oh, God!” from Ernst before Ernst rolled over and grasped his stomach.

Reported accounts described Hennard’s actions including circling the room, selecting victims, reloading several times, and returning to wounded victims to shoot them again.

A patron and family were described as escaping after a mother and her four-year-old child were allowed to leave. Another reported escape occurred when someone broke a back window with a chair and others escaped via the opening, including the family of three-month-old Sommer Isdale.

At least some accounts described Hennard allowing a mother and her four-year-old child to leave. Another described that Hennard pointed a pistol at a blood-splattered woman who had just seen her mother shot dead and told her:

“You with the baby, get out.”

Several additional escape details were described, including some people escaping through a kitchen door and others escaping through a rear window after Vaughan broke a window and people pushed and shoved to get out.

The shooting ended when four police officers arrived, exchanged fire with Hennard, and wounded him four times. Hennard then retreated toward the rest rooms and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Investigation

Police arrived during the attack after it began. Accounts described Hennard being wounded by police and cornered, followed by his suicide.

Investigators and police sought a motive and described the difficulty of establishing why he committed the killings. Police chief Francis Giacomozzi was quoted:

“There was nothing we recovered to show he was capable or intended to do anything like he did. The whos, whats, whens and whys -- we may never be able to figure them out.”

Police chief F.L. Giacomozzi stated that Hennard apparently had “a problem with women,” and said:

“a problem with women.”

Deaths and injuries

Hennard killed 23 people and wounded 20 before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head after being cornered and wounded by police the same day. Multiple totals were described in the narrative materials, including one version stating 22 killed at the scene with one more death later, and another version describing 23 dead and 27 others wounded; however, the outcome used here is that 23 were killed and 20 were wounded before suicide.

Victims listed in the narrative included fatalities from this shooting:

• Patricia Brawn Carney, 57 — Belton, Texas
• Jimmie Eugene Caruthers, 48 — Austin, Texas
• Kriemhild A. Davis, 62 — Killeen, Texas
• Lt. Col. Steven Charles Dody, 43 — Fort Hood, Texas
• Al Gratia, 71 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Ursula Edith Marie Gratia, 67 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Debra Ann Gray, 33 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Dr. Michael Edward Griffith, 48 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Venice Ellen Henehan, 70 — Metz, Missouri
• Clodine Delphia Humphrey, 63 — Killeen, Texas
• Sylvia Mathilde King, 64 — Marlin, Texas
• Zona Mae Lynn, 45 — Austin, Texas
• Connie Dean Peterson, 55 — Austin, Texas
• Ruth Marie Pujol, 36 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Su-zann Neal Rashott, 30 — San Antonio, Texas
• John Raymond Romero Jr, 33 — Copperas Cove, Texas
• Thomas Earl Simmons, 55 — Killeen, Texas
• Glen Arval Spivey, 44 — Harker Heights, Texas
• Nancy Faye Stansbury, 44 — Harker Heights, Texas
• Olgica Andonovsk Taylor, 45 — Waco, Texas
• James Walter Welsh, 75 — Waco, Texas
• Lula Belle Welsh, 64 — Waco, Texas
• Iva Juanita Williams, 64 — Temple, Texas

Other individuals and relationships mentioned

• Desiree Hennard — sister of the gunman; she apologized for his rampage and denied that her brother was driven by a hatred of women.
• Suzanna Gratia Hupp — a survivor whose parents were among those shot and killed; she later crusaded for a concealed carry law and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1996.
• Sam Wink, 47 — attendance officer for the Killeen Independent School District; he was present during the attack.
• Mark Mathews, 19 — escaped by hiding inside an industrial dishwasher.
• Tommy Vaughan, 28 — broke a window and escaped.
• Dr. Shawn Isdale, 31 — chiropractor; he was present with his wife, infant daughter, and parents.
• Steve Ernst — friend of Isdale who was described as hiding under a table and was shot.
• Judy — Ernst’s wife; she was described as being shot in the arm and the bullet was described as going through and killing Venice Ellen Henehan, 70, Ernst’s mother-in-law.
• Eddie Sanchez — described as seeing Hennard after dropping off Angela Wilson.
• Angela Wilson — described as a Luby’s employee.
• Robert M. Luby — founder of Luby’s; he flew in from San Antonio.
• Ralph Erben — company president of Luby’s; he flew in from San Antonio.
• Governor Ann Richards — attended an emotional memorial service and renewed a call for controls on automatic weapons; she was quoted:

• Judge Bob Burdick — editor of the Los Angeles Daily News; he was quoted about coverage by The Chronicle:

• Jane Bugg — described as the mother of Jana Jernigan and Jill Fritz and as having taken Hennard’s letter to Belton police.
• James Dunlap — roommate and friend who described Hennard’s remarks about killing himself and his lack of respect for his mother.

“The Chronicle went beyond the story and delved into the increasing incidents of mass murder. This was a fine example of a newspaper team making sense of a senseless act.”

“Dead lying on the floor of Luby's should be enough evidence we are not taking a rational posture,”

Aftermath

After the massacre, the Texas Legislature passed a shall-issue gun law in 1995 allowing Texas citizens with the required permit to carry concealed weapons. The law was sponsored by Suzanna Gratia Hupp, who was present at the Luby’s massacre and whose parents were shot and killed. The law was signed by Governor George W. Bush.

The Luby’s restaurant in Killeen closed after the massacre and was reopened after cleanup and redesign of the front wall. It struggled and shut down operations on September 9, 2000. A Chinese-American buffet called Yank Sing later occupied the building and was ranked one of the top buffets in the central Texas area.

The massacre was described as remaining the deadliest criminal mass shooting by a single gunman in United States history until April 16, 2007, when the Virginia Tech massacre occurred.

Killeen residents launched and took part in remembrance activities, including flags at half-staff and a 30 Days of Unity campaign urging residents to wear white ribbons.

Weapons

Hennard used a Glock 17 pistol and a Ruger P89 during the attack. In February 1991, Hennard legally purchased the two pistols in Henderson. Multiple accounts described the reloading of his weapons during the attack.