Highlighted Crime
Story of the Week -
On July 18, 1984, James Huberty opened fire with
automatic weapons in a crowded McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, California,
killing 21 people and wounding 19 others. Minutes earlier, Huberty had left
home, telling his wife, “I’m going hunting… hunting for humans.”
Huberty, who had a history of mental problems, lost his
job in Ohio the previous year. He brought his family to San Diego and worked as
a security guard until he was fired again, a month before the shootings. His
wife claimed that Huberty called a mental health clinic to make an appointment
for counseling but was never called back. He had an obsession with guns.
Bringing several of these weapons, including a 9mm automatic
pistol and semiautomatic rifle, into the McDonald’s two miles from the Mexican
border, Huberty demanded that the 45 patrons get on the floor. He then walked
around the restaurant, calmly shooting people. He killed 20 in the first ten
minutes, including four who tried to escape. There were so many shots fired
that the police first assumed that there was more than one gunman inside. Shooting
at a fire truck that responded to the scene, Huberty also grazed one
firefighter with a bullet.
An hour after the shooting began, an employee managed to
escape through the basement and inform the SWAT team that Huberty was alone and
without hostages. With this information, sharpshooters were told to “take him
out.” A marksman sent a shot through Huberty’s chest and killed him. After
making sure that he was dead, police finally entered the restaurant.
Check back every
Monday for a new installment of “This Week in Crime History.”
Michael Thomas Barry is a columnist for www.crimemagazine.com and is the author
of six nonfiction books that includes the award winning Murder and Mayhem 52 Crimes that Shocked Early California, 1849-1949.
Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com
for more information. His book can be purchased from Amazon through the
following link:
