Luby's shooting

On October 16, 1991, 35-year-old George Hennard, an unemployed former Merchant Marine seaman, drove a blue 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck through the plate-glass front window of a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, at 12:39 p.m. October 16 was Boss's Day, and the cafeteria was unusually crowded with around 150 people. Hennard then began firing from inside the truck while holding Glock 17 and Ruger P89 pistols; the first victim was veterinarian Michael Griffith. Hennard exited the truck and yelled, "All women of Killeen and Belton are vipers! This is what you've done to me and my family! This is what Bell County did to me ...this is payback day!" He then opened fire on the patrons and staff with both pistols. Hennard reloaded at least three times before police arrived and engaged in a brief shootout. Wounded, he retreated to an area between the two bathrooms (people were hiding in them and had blocked their doors). Police repeatedly ordered Hennard to surrender, but he refused, saying, "No, I'm going to kill more people." He was shot twice more by police, in the abdomen. Having depleted ammunition for one of his weapons and his injuries growing more severe, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with the final bullet. Hennard discharged his weapons about 80 times during the shooting, and police discharged their weapons about 30 times. Only Hennard was struck by police gunfire. ==Deaths==

Victims of the shootings were: ==Perpetrator==

George Pierre Hennard (October 15, 1956 – October 16, 1991) was born in Sayre, Pennsylvania, into a wealthy family. He had two younger siblings, brother Alan and sister Desiree. Since the age of 5, he and his family moved across the country as his father worked at several army hospitals. He later worked as a merchant mariner, but was dismissed for drug use. Several months later, he enrolled in a drug treatment program in Houston. Several months later, he entered a drug-treatment program in Houston. A week and a half before the shooting, Hennard collected his paycheck at a concrete company in Copperas Cove and announced he was quitting. He also wondered aloud what would happen if he killed someone. "He got to talking about some of the people in Belton and certain women that had given him problems," coworker Bubba Hawkins claimed. "And he kept saying, 'Watch and see, watch and see'." On his 35th birthday, October 15, 1991, Hennard spoke with his mother on the phone. Later that evening, while eating a cheeseburger and french fries outside of Belton, he had a sudden outburst of rage as he watched television coverage of Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings. "When an interview with Anita Hill came on, he just went off," manager Bill Stringer said. "He started screaming, 'You bitch! You bastards opened the door for all the women! ==Aftermath==

An anticrime bill was scheduled for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives the day after the massacre. Some of the victims had been constituents of Rep. Chet Edwards, and in response, he abandoned his opposition to a gun control provision that was part of the bill. The provision, which did not pass, would have banned some weapons and magazines like one used by Hennard. Families of deceased victims, survivors, and policemen received counseling for grief, shock, and stress. The law had been campaigned for by Suzanna Hupp, who was present at the massacre; both of her parents, Alphonse "Al" Gratia and Ursula "Suzy" Gratia, were killed by Hennard. She later testified that she would have liked to have had her .38 revolver, A pink granite memorial stands behind the Killeen Community Center with the date of the event and the names of those killed. Present site The cafeteria reopened five months after the massacre, but closed permanently on September 9, 2000. In 2006, a buffet called "Yank Sing" occupied the former cafeteria. It remains open as of May 2026. ==See also==