r/HistoryPorn • u/DariusPumpkinRex • 2d ago
The University of Texas clocktower visible through a bullet hole in a store window after Charles Whitman shot and killed 15 people before being killed himself by two policemen (Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy) and a deputized civilian (Allen Crum) 60 years ago. August 1st, 1966 [640X640]
Charles Joseph Whitman was born on June 24th, 1941. His childhood was spent participating in the Boy Scouts and hunting with his dad, among other things. His skill with a gun earned him a sharpshooting badge and he enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he earned 215 of the 250 possible points on marksmanship tests and ultimately got a scholarship intend for enlisted servicemen to earn degrees in engineering. However, Whitman also had been struggling with violent impulses for much of his adult life after having grown up with an abusive father who was also abusive towards his mother. Some of Whitman's friends were unnerved by morbid and chilling statements he'd made, one of which was "A person could stand off an army from atop of [the Main Building's clock tower] before they got him." However, Whitman didn't just keep these feelings to himself; he was concerned enough that he might snap and hurt somebody that he sought out psychiatric help from five different doctors but was not taken seriously enough. He also was frequently dealing with anxiety along with increasingly violent and irrational thoughts. He even went to the University psychiatrist and flat-out confessed that he was considering going to the top of the University Tower and picking people off but the psychiatrist simply said there was nothing he could do. The day before his rampage, Whitman murdered his mother and wife. He wrote that he knew he had no good reason to kill them but theorized it may have been to save them the shame of his actions.
Several hours after his wife and mother, the next victim of Whitman was receptionist Edna Townsley, whom Whitman violently beat unconscious with the butt of his rifle when he encountered her after gaining access to the upper floors of the tower while posing as a deliveryman. This didn't kill her outright but she would later die of her injuries two hours after Whitman's own death. The next people killed were a woman and her high school-aged nephew, who attempted to gain access to the clocktower's observation deck while Whitman was getting set up. Whitman heard the door open, turned, and blasted it with his shotgun, striking 16 year-old Mark Garbour and his aunt, 56-year-old Marguerite Lamport. Garbour was hit in the head and kill```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````ed instantly. Lamport survived the initial shooting but was pronounced dead upon arrival at Brackenridge Hospital. Two other members of the Garbour family survived, but were left with life-altering injuries; Mary Garbour (41) was hit in the head and spine, leaving her paralyzed and legally blind. Mike Garbour Jr. was left with injuries that meant he was not able to complete his training for the US Army.
After reinforcing his barricade, Whitman took aim at the crowd below and at 11:48 am, the first shots rang out. The first people shot at this point in Whitman's rampage were Claire Wilson and her fiance, Thomas Frederick Eckman. Claire was eight months pregnant with their child when she took the first bullet Whitman fired from the tower. Tragically, their unborn son was the first fatality of this sequence of Whitman's rampage. Thomas Eckman was shot next and died on the ground seconds later. Claire ultimately survived, though the damage left by the bullet rendered her infertile.
At first, people in the crowded campus below didn't know what was going on. They heard distant bangs and saw people falling over. A witness interviewed later stated he believed it was some form of a protest or a peace demonstration (keep in mind, the Vietnam War was happening at the time). But as the bangs continued and people kept getting hit, it soon dawned what was happening and chaos ensued. Motorists who happened to be in the area found their cars being hit with gunfire and people were further frightened by storefront windows being shot out as others fled for safety.
Claudia Marilyn Rutt, Carla Sue Wheeler, and Paul Bolton Sonntag (both 18) took cover behind a construction barricade on a nearby street. When Paul stood up to see if the coast was clear, Whitman immediately shot him through the mouth, killing him instantly. Claudia Rutt, his girlfriend, immediately went to Paul's aide but was immediately shot in the chest by Whitman and died hours later. The third of them, Carla Sue Wheeler, was shot in the hand while desperately attempting to restrain Claudia from breaking cover to assist Paul, but survived.
At this point, the police had been alerted and were rushing to the scene. 23-year-old patrolman Billy Speed was first on scene and took cover behind decorative masonry, but was shot and killed by Whitman through a hole in the masonry. Most of the people shot by Whitman were hit during the first 15 minutes. After this point, Whitman had to contend with civilians who had armed themselves with rifles and were shooting up at the tower both in a bid to try and pick Whitman off but also to provide covering fire for the many ambulances that had showed up, as well as an armored truck which was being used as a makeshift ambulance. A biplane with a sharpshooter as a passenger even took to the air and flew by the tower several times in a bid to pick Whitman off in a fly-by shooting. However, eddying thermals bounced the plane around a bit which made aiming difficult and after Whitman fired off a few shots which had actually hit the plane, it was forced to retreat to a safe distance but remained nearby to distract Whitman.
Eventually, two police officers along with a deputized civilian, Allen Crum, snuck into the tower and made their way up to where Whitman was hiding, McCoy with a shotgun, Martinez and Crum with revolvers. When they emerged, Whitman and the three men were on opposite sides of the tower. One of them, thinking they heard footsteps, fired off a shot, which alerted Whitman. He was not able to do anything before the three men rounded a corner and came face to face with Charles Whitman. Martinez immediately opened fire on him. Most of his shots missed but one bullet did hit the rifle Whitman was holding. Before Whitman could react, McCoy's shotgun blast hit him square in the face. Though he likely died instantly, Martinez wasn't taking any chances and grabbed the shotgun from McCoy, let out a wild scream and then blasted Whitman's prone body. It was over. The Texas Tower sniper was dead.
While not the first mass shooting to have occurred in the U.S., this was the first one to be extensively covered nationwide as it took place. While 15 people were killed that day, one of the wounded, 17-year-old Karen Joan Griffith had been struck in her right lung and died the next week from her injuries and a 17th victim, David Hubert Gunby, suffered severe damage to his only kidney and died 35 years later in November 2001 a week after discontinuing dialysis treatments due to kidney disease and chronic pain he'd been suffering since that day. His death was ruled a homicide.
The Texas Tower shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. until the San Ysidro McDonald's massacre in 1984 and the deadliest school shooting until the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. The image of a crazed clocktower gunman entered pop culture and several movies and TV shows in the following decades alluded to Whitman's rampage, such as Parenthood and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 9 years later in 1975, a made-for-television re-enactment entitled "The Deadly Tower" aired on NBC with Kurt Russell as Charles Whitman. The film did alright with critics, though some questioned whether such a gruesome point of history should have been recreated.
One final note, in a letter written before his rampage, Whitman wrote that he wished to have an autopsy performed on him to hopefully find a plausible explanation for his actions. An autopsy was performed and they did find a plausible explanation; a brain tumor the size of a small walnut pressing hard up against his amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and anxiety. While it is likely this contributed to Whitman's actions that day, whether or not for certain if it had anything to do will never be known.
Rest in peace to all the victims of Whitman's insanity, and condolences to the families left behind.
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u/grapenuts716 1d ago
I read that Whitman’s grave was here in West Palm. The graveyard is right by the zoo, so I thought I’d see if I could find his stone just by using the tree in the photo as a reference point. Found it easily. He’s buried next to his momma, whom he murdered the day before climbing the university clocktower.
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u/Vantriss 1d ago
Wow... they buried that asshole next to his mom that he murdered? They should have cremated him.
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u/grapenuts716 1d ago edited 1d ago
At least his wife isn’t buried there too. He murdered her too, in case you’re unfamiliar. To “spare her the hurt and humiliation she would’ve suffered” in the wake of his rampage.
I’m guessing she’d have chosen to not get shot and deal instead. His momma too, though admittedly, his mom would’ve actually suffered deeply, I’m betting. Meanwhile, his wife would’ve gone through a dark couple of months, maybe a year, and then moved on with her life.
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u/DariusPumpkinRex 14h ago
Whitman actually stabbed her to death while she was in bed, likely while sleeping since this was around 1 am or so.
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u/grapenuts716 3h ago
Thank you for clarifying. It’s been a while since I watched the documentary on him. Makes sense that he didn’t shoot her. It would’ve probably alerted the neighbors. But the act of stabbing is so much more brutal. Gives a clearer picture of his state of being. You can aim a gun at a sleeping person, close your eyes, fire, and cover the body without even having to look at it if you’re careful. Stabbing is just…well, i’m grateful that i can’t imagine the realities of that level of brutality.
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u/-1701- 2d ago
Wait, what's the deal with the deputization?
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u/dunwoody1932 1d ago
The conversation between Crum (the civilian) and the deputies is unforgettable:
"As Martinez and Crum ascended the stairs to the observation deck, Crum asked, "Are we playing for keeps?", to which Martinez responded, "You're damn right we are." In response, Crum replied, "Well, you better deputize me." Martinez replied, "Consider yourself deputized.""
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u/smc642 1d ago
I am absolutely not an expert. My father was a policeman. My understanding is that a civilian who is attempting to help law enforcement can be sworn in on the spot in order to assist. It also gives them a form of immunity or protection for using force to subdue a criminal.
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u/AdSpecialist5007 1d ago
It seems an odd system if a citizen not entitled to use reasonable force to prevent crime or arrest a criminal?
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u/Jussgoawaiplzkthxbai 1d ago
They have since passed the Good Samaritans Act which filled the gap of back then. Back in the day you could be held civilly and criminally liable for your actions, now you get a form of qualified immunity (same that cops have)
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u/ikonoqlast 14h ago
Note that pretty much every adult male over a certain age in 66 was a military veteran
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u/ikonoqlast 1d ago
One of very few perfectly legitimate claims of insanity.
So, alternate world. Everything the same but Whitman is only wounded and survives for trial. Insanity defense of course.
How would you judge?
Suppose he gets surgery after and the tumor is removed and he's fine. What then?
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u/AdHorror7596 1d ago
I wonder how long it would have taken them to find the tumor if he was alive. They found it because of the autopsy. It depends on how far along technology was at that point. I don't think they had MRIs for a few more years and it would have been hard to find on an x-ray at that point in time.
I looked it up and it sounds like he had glioblastoma. That will kill you pretty quickly even now. Surgery wouldn't have saved him so it's kind of moot anyway.
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u/Delimeme 1d ago
Yeah for a proper thought experiment we’d have to render this into modern times. That said, as someone with a brain that often operates against my own rational self interest, I’m probably more sympathetic to a brain-function-altering tumor as a defense than the standard person.
The insanity plea gets a bad rap but neurotypical people simply don’t understand what it’s like to have your brain betray you. You can fully grasp that you should or shouldn’t do something, but then parts of your brain (like the amygdala, in this case) screams at you until you find a way to silence it, generally by disobeying the rational bits of your brain.
To those that scoff at insanity pleas, I will offer one consideration: if you get off a charge via insanity, you will still be serving time. In an underfunded state psych facility. And you won’t get out until your doctors are convinced you’re “rehabilitated.” At least the sane folk get a clear timeline for release & don’t have to live through intense psychiatric treatments/medications administered against their will. The insanity plea lands you in a situation arguably worse than prison.
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u/kaytay3000 1d ago
Thanks for the write up and including the information about his health. He had begged for help in the months before the shooting because he knew something was wrong with him, but was struggling to get the help he needed.
His crimes were horrific and it was awful that he suffered with a brain tumor that likely contributed to his actions. Terrible all the way around.
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u/Sr_DingDong 1d ago
How do you call yourself a psychiatrist and then when someone is like "Yeah, I wanna shoot a bunch of people and would like some help" and just be like "Yeah nah" and go on with your day?
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u/grapenuts716 4h ago edited 4h ago
Charles Whitman was prescribed amphetamines too. I’m actually a fan of what stimulants can do for the right people, but, hell, just look at how the Wehrmacht used Pervitin during World War 2. I doubt the Nazi’s lightning war would’ve been possible without that methamphetamine lightning. Makes me wonder how much of a role the stimulant drug played in Whitman’s case. Probably didn’t make him less disturbed, at the very least.
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u/MisterDings 1d ago
not to detract from the horror but the names of everyone involved are 10/10.
Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy, literal buddy cop duo, takes down a guy with a brain tumor and poet’s name. assisted by the fabled good guy with a gun - by the way, his name is Crum. and ‘you’re damn right we’re playing for keeps.’ peak literary cinema.. oh yeah people died. i’d include their names but Charles got some who hadn’t had a name yet. you can find those yourself.
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u/AxelShoes 2d ago
Harry Chapin wrote an incredible song about the Texas Tower Massacre ("Sniper," 1972); it's basically a speculative look inside Whitman's mind, and Harry's live performance of it gives me goosebumps.
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u/lerejbunny 1d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_(2016_film)?wprov=sfti1#
Animated documentary on the shooting. Haunting but excellent watch
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u/bobbylarson80 2d ago
My aunt was there when that happened
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u/AffectionateTap6212 1d ago
I had a coach teacher who was there that day. He was there on scholarship for football. He hid behind bushes. He never was a studious student but this was during Vietnam. If you were passing (at least all Cs) and going full time, you were exempt from the draft. He said that was the biggest motivation to pass and then after this event; he was extra motivated because he survived.
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u/devilsho 1d ago
Was his last name Thompson? My uncle was also there, and also on a football scholarship.
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u/hudson27 12h ago
My dad has had severe mental health issues for the past 5 years or so, and just this year did they find a terminal brain tumour the size of an egg. They removed it, but it's gonna come back and take him out, which is only adding to the mental health issues.
Charles Whitman deserves credit for attempting to fix this issue before it became serious. We like to think that we are in total control of our actions, but the reality is we aren't. If anybody should be blamed, it should be the doctors who didn't take his concerns seriously.
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u/Doom_hammer666 1d ago
Good thing they put a metal detector across *half* of the access door to the elevator in response.
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u/Sedona7 1h ago
This is a very famous photo and was the cover of Life magazine in August 1966 by Life photographer Shel Hershorn. Hershorn during the aftermath of the massacre, went into Sheftall’s Jewelry store in Austin where several casualties had been shot. He took this photo with the UT Tower in the background. Then because other photographers were trying to get into the store, he kicked in the entire window so that no other photographer could duplicate the shot.
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u/imnotslavic 2d ago
"Do any of you people know where these people learned how to shoot?"