Murder-Suicides Committed By Concealed Carry Killers

Alabama

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Michael McLendon  SUICIDE

Date: March 10, 2009
People Killed: 11 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On March 10, 2009, Michael McLendon, a self-proclaimed survivalist, killed his mother at their family home, beginning a shooting rampage that stretched across 24 miles. By the time McLendon took his own life in the midst of a police shootout at a factory where he had previously worked, he had shot four more relatives, including his 74-year-old grandmother, and five strangers, including the wife and 18- month-old daughter of a local sheriff’s deputy. McLendon had a concealed handgun permit for two handguns. Police later found at the home he shared with his mother numerous how-to DVDs on committing acts of violence.

Source: “Officials: Alabama shooter depressed over failures,” Associated Press at philstar.com, March 13, 2009.

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Guillermo Rodriguez  SUICIDE

Date: August 2, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 2, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Guillermo Rodriguez, 43, shot and killed his girlfriend Ingrid Del Rio-Garcia with a 45 caliber handgun, 37, before using a 10mm handgun to kill himself. Officers investigated after family members reported having no contact with Del Rio-Garcia for about 24 hours. After entering the home shared by the couple, police found Rodriguez dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the head, and Del Rio-Garcia dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. According to police, the couple had been together for at least 10 years and there was no reported history of domestic violence between the couple.

Source: “East Haven Police: Shooter Threatened Girlfriend Before Murder-Suicide,” The Hartford Courant, August 5, 2015; “Update: East Haven Police Provide Details of the Murder/Suicide on Foxon Boulevard,” patch.com, August 5, 2015.

Connecticut

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Omar Thornton  SUICIDE

Date: August 3, 2010
People Killed: 9 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 3, 2010, concealed handgun permit holder Omar Thornton, 34, went on a shooting rampage at the beer distributorship where he worked, killing eight co-workers before taking his own life. The shooting began at a meeting where Thornton, a driver for the distributor, resigned after being shown video evidence of having stolen beer from the company. Then, according to one witness in the meeting, “[H]e went out on this rampage. He was cool and calm. He didn’t yell. He was cold as ice. He didn’t protest when we were meeting with him to show him the video of him stealing….He just agreed to resign. And then he just unexplainably pulled out his gun and started blasting.” It was believed that Thornton had hidden the two handguns he used, including a Sturm, Ruger SR9 pistol, in his lunch box. According to his girlfriend’s mother, Thornton had planned to teach her daughter how to use a gun. Thornton had complained of racial harassment at the company but had not filed a complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (the company denied the allegations). On his Facebook page Thornton listed Hoffman’s Gun Center & Indoor Range among his interests. According to documents obtained by the Violence Policy Center from the State of Connecticut, Thornton had a current Connecticut pistol permit that allowed him to carry concealed. The reason for the permit was “job.”

Source: “Man kills 8, self in Connecticut shooting rampage,” Associated Press, August 4, 2010; “Shooter: ‘Tell Everybody I Love Them and Goodbye,’” Associated Press/NBC Connecticut, August 4, 2010; Documents obtained by Violence Policy Center from State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety, September 24, 2010.

Florida

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Gerardo Regalado SUICIDE

Date: June 6, 2010
People Killed: 5 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On June 6, 2010, Gerardo Regalado, 38, committed Hialeah, Florida’s worst mass shooting: killing four women and wounding three others at the Yoyito Cafe- Restaurant, a well-liked local restaurant. Regalado’s target was his estranged wife, Liazan Molina, 24. Armed with a 45 caliber pistol, Regalado fired nine times in a shooting spree that witnesses described as total mayhem. “He came in running, like a crazy man…shooting everybody,” screamed one 911 caller, “He came in running and killing.” Authorities said that Regalado specifically targeted women and shot them at close range. Regalado killed himself after the shooting. He had a concealed handgun permit—even though relatives described him as “pure evil” with a history of abusing women and having served “hard time” in a Cuban prison.

Source: “Shooter had violent past,” WSVN.com, June 11, 2010; “In minutes, rage to rampage in Hialeah mass shooting,” The Miami Herald, June 8, 2010; “Hialeah rampage suspect is half-brother of pitcher ‘El Duque’ Hernandez,” The Miami Herald, June 7, 2010.

Florida

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Roger Troy  SUICIDE

Date: February 8, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On February 8, 2010, Alissa Blanton, 23, was shot and killed by concealed handgun permit holder Roger Troy, 61, before Troy shot himself in the head, ending his own life. One week earlier Blanton had sought an emergency order of protection against Troy. The request was denied. The shooting occurred in a business center parking lot outside an AT&T Wireless Call Center in Orlando where both Blanton and her husband of six months, Brent, worked. The newlywed couple had been out for lunch and were returning to work via separate entrances. When Blanton saw Troy approaching, she called her husband on her cell phone for help. When the husband returned, he found Alissa on the ground and began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. According to Alissa Blanton’s mother, he had just enough time “… to tell her that he loved her.” In a 72-page petition for an order of protection presented at an emergency hearing February 1, 2010, Alissa Blanton stated that Troy had been stalking her since 2008 and that he owned several guns. Blanton had first met Troy when she worked as a waitress at a Hooters that year. Troy was a regular and kept trying to touch her. Blanton said she gave Troy her e-mail address after he kept badgering her for her phone number. Subsequent communications from Troy contained “angry rants” about her marriage. During the period prior to the shooting, Troy had showed up at her home, followed her to the beach, and confronted her outside her workplace, blocking in her car. Despite the evidence Blanton presented, Brevard Circuit Judge Dean Moxley denied her request for an emergency injunction.

Source: “Woman killed near UCF had told judge man was stalking her,” TMCnet.com, February 10, 2010.

Florida

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Arthur Burroughs  SUICIDE

Date: March 8, 2008
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On March 8, 2008, Christine Burroughs, naked and covered with blood, ran to neighbor Alice and Lance Lather’s house seeking refuge from her enraged husband, Arthur Burroughs. Burroughs followed his wife to the home, fatally shooting Lance Lather. Burroughs then barricaded himself in the neighbors’ bathroom with his wife. A SWAT team and hostage negotiator were called to the house. Burroughs eventually shot and killed himself. Christine Burroughs had previously told Alice Lather that her husband wanted to kill her because she wanted a divorce. Burroughs had been previously employed in loss prevention and security for T.J. Maxx and had possessed a concealed handgun permit since at least 1999.

Source: “Domestic Dispute Spurred Shooter,” Palm Beach Post, March 10, 2008.

Florida

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Michael Leopold Phillips  SUICIDE

Date: January 19, 2008
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 19, 2008, Michael Leopold Phillips shot and killed his wife, Josefina Boza, before turning the gun on himself. Both were shot in the head and a police investigation determined the shooting to be a murder-suicide. Phillips’ arrest record showed three charges since 1988 of domestic battery or assault on a spouse. From 1988 through 1990, one of Phillips’ ex-wives was granted injunctions for protection against domestic violence. Phillips obtained a concealed handgun permit in 1999 and renewed it in 2006.

Source: “Murder, Suicide Cited in Deaths,” Palm Beach Post, January 21, 2008.

Florida

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Antonio Olo Duran  SUICIDE

Date: May 8, 2007
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On May 8, 2007, concealed handgun permit holder Antonio Olo Duran, 40, shot and killed Richard Scoggins, 39, and then took his own life. According to press reports Maria Bautista, 44, her former boyfriend Duran, and her current boyfriend Scoggins, 39, were “in a love triangle of sorts.” The three had eaten dinner together, had some drinks, and were working on the mobile home where Bautista lived. Duran then made several trips to the bathroom in a short period of time and “started acting erratically.” Following the fourth and final visit to the bathroom he began arguing with Scoggins about “past relationships.” The argument continued outside where Duran pulled out a silver and black semiautomatic handgun and fatally shot Scoggins in the head. As Bautista attempted to help Scoggins, Duran struggled with her. He then put the handgun in his mouth. As Bautista attempted to pull it out he pulled the trigger, killing himself.

Source: “Fight leaves 2 men dead,” Tampa Tribune, May 10, 2007.

Georgia

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Henry Harlan Wooten SUICIDE

Date: March 10, 2013
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On March 10, 2013, concealed handgun permit holder Henry Harlan Wooten, 70, shot and killed his longtime companion Kay Cornell Janus, 72, in the garage of her house before turning the gun on himself in the middle of the cul-de-sac where she lived. According to a neighbor, the couple had recently split up and Wooten was facing health and financial difficulties. The neighbor stated that Wooten often carried his gun in his truck, and the neighbor warned him that the “gun is ultimately going to cause more harm than good. Chances are you are going to use it against someone you know.”

Source: “Police say Marietta shootings were likely a murder-suicide,” mdjonline.com, March 11, 2013.

Idaho

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Ernesto Bustamante  SUICIDE

Date: August 22, 2011
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 22, 2011, concealed handgun permit holder Ernesto Bustamante, 31, shot and killed graduate student Katy Benoit, 22, before taking his own life. Bustamante, a professor at the University of Idaho, had recently dated Benoit, who had ended the relationship after he displayed violent tendencies—including threatening her life with a gun numerous times. According to news reports, three days after resigning his position at the college, Bustamante shot Benoit 11 times outside her home with a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 handgun. He then checked into a motel and killed himself with a Smith & Wesson .44 revolver the next day. An additional four handguns were found in the hotel room with Bustamante along with prescription medications for severe anxiety, epilepsy, depression, and bipolar disorder. Bustamante had multiple personalities and was known to refer to himself as “psychopathic killer” and “the beast.” According to one student, Bustamante informed the class whenever he developed a new personality, referred to each personality by number, and finished the semester with six personalities. Said one student, “We kind of referred to him as ‘the crazy doctor’—not like an insult, but that’s what he was. I was shocked because I knew he had issues, but I didn’t think it was that bad. We thought he had everything under control.”

Source: “Sheriff: UI professor had cleared background check,” Associated Press, September 1, 2011; “Details emerge on Bustamante, prescriptions, weapons and a new job,” IdahoStatesman.com, August 27, 2011; Bustamante told classes of his mental problems,” IdahoStatesman.com, August 26, 2011.

Idaho

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Jason Kenneth Hamilton  SUICIDE

Date: May 19, 2007
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)
Law Enforcement Officers Killed: 1

 
Circumstances: On May 19, 2007, Jason Kenneth Hamilton, 36, a member of the white supremacist group Aryan Nations, shot and killed his wife, a police officer, and a church sexton, and wounded three others before turning the gun on himself in a shooting spree in Moscow, Idaho. Hamilton had a concealed handgun permit “despite a [previous] domestic violence conviction that should have barred him from owning guns.”

Source: “Shooter Linked to Aryans; Killer also had federal license for automatic weapons,” Spokesman Review, May 23, 2007; “Authorities investigate Hamilton’s gun purchase; Mass killer apparently obtained the automatic weapon late in 2004 or early in 2005; Ambush aftermath,” Lewiston Morning Tribune, May 24, 2007.

Illinois

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Juan Lopez  SUICIDE

Date: November 19, 2018
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)
Law Enforcement Officers Killed: 1

Circumstances: On November 19, 2018, concealed handgun permit holder Juan Lopez, 32, shot and killed his ex-fiancee Dr. Tamara O’Neal, 38, pharmacy resident Dayna Less, 24, and Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, 28, with a Glock 9mm pistol at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago. Lopez and Dr. O’Neal, who had recently broken off their engagement, argued in the parking lot of the hospital before Lopez shot and killed Dr. O’Neal. Lopez then shot and killed Less as she stepped off an elevator inside the hospital. Officer Jimenez was shot in the neck during a gun battle with Lopez inside the hospital. Lopez was shot in the abdomen during the gun battle with police before shooting himself in the head. He died at the scene. Lopez obtained a concealed carry permit in 2016. In 2014, his ex-wife obtained an order of protection against him, alleging threats of violence with a gun against her, a neighbor, and a realtor, and alleging that he slept with a pistol under his pillow. Nearly five years prior to the shooting, Lopez threatened to shoot up the Chicago Fire Department Academy and was fired for failing to show up at work while facing allegations of “improper conduct” toward women.

Source: “Mercy Hospital Chicago shooting: Illinois State Police investigating Mercy Hospital shooter’s gun permits,” abc7chicago.com, November 21, 2018; “Gunman who went on rampage at Mercy Hospital had troubled history, particularly with women,” Chicago Tribune, November 20, 2018.

Illinois

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Ryan Zike  SUICIDE

Date: January 3, 2018
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 3, 2018, concealed handgun permit holder Ryan Zike, 33, shot and killed his former girlfriend, Claire VanLandingham, 27, with a pistol before shooting himself in the head. Zike approached VanLandingham around 6:20 a.m. as she was leaving her apartment. Following a brief conversation, Zike pulled out a pistol and shot her multiple times before turning the gun on himself. A man who was waiting to pick up VanLandingham witnessed the shooting and rammed Zike with his Land Rover Discovery shortly after Zike shot himself “to avoid being shot.” An autopsy found that Zike died from his self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and that he did not suffer major trauma from being struck by the Land Rover.

Source: “Police: Man killed self after fatally shooting ex-girlfriend in Lake Forest,” chicago.suntimes.com, January 17, 2018.

Illinois

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Sergio Ramirez-Abeja  SUICIDE

Date: January 14, 2016
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 14, 2016, concealed handgun permit holder Sergio Ramirez-Abeja, 43, shot and killed Santiago Garcia-Mendoza, 40, before leading police on a high-speed chase and shooting himself as police were about to place him under arrest. The incident began with a dispute between Ramirez-Abeja and his daughter’s stepfather, Garcia-Mendoza. Witnesses saw Ramirez-Abeja shoot Garcia-Mendoza at least three times in the driveway of Garcia-Mendoza’s home. Ramirez-Abeja then fled the scene and was pursued by police, reaching speeds of up to 85 mph during the 40-mile high-speed chase. An officer struck Ramirez-Abeja’s car from behind, forcing him off the road. As an officer approached the vehicle he heard a gunshot, which was determined to be a lethal self-inflicted gunshot from Ramirez-Abeja.

Source: “Police say man dead after killing daughter’s stepfather, high-speed chase,” Chicago Tribune, January 14, 2016.

Illinois

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Richard Idrovo  SUICIDE

Date: August 14, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 14, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Richard Idrovo, 45, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Alma B. Hernandez, 44, at AmeriCash Loans where she worked, before turning the gun on himself. According to police, Idrovo entered the store around 2:30 p.m., walked to the rear of the store and shot Hernandez twice before walking back to the front of the store and shooting himself in the head.

Source: “Man Kills Ex-Girlfriend, Then Self in Loop Loan Store,” chicago.cbslocal.com, August 14, 2015; “2 people shot dead in Loop victims of murder-suicide, top cop says,” Chicago Tribune, August 14, 2015.

Indiana

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Qing Chen  SUICIDE

Date: March 10, 2016
Total Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On March 10, 2016, concealed handgun permit holder Qing Chen, 37, shot and killed his supervisor Ward Edwards, 49, before turning the 9mm Glock pistol on himself in a meeting room at the Cummins Seymour Engine Plant where they worked.  The motive was described as a personnel issue, with the Seymour Police Chief noting that the two had a “supervisor/employee relationship.”  Autopsy results showed that Edwards died of multiple gunshot wounds and Chen died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Chen purchased the Glock handgun used in the shooting from Plainfield Shooting Supply in 2012.

Source: “New details released in Seymour shooting,” whas11.com, March 11, 2016.

Indiana

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Michael Hrnciar  SUICIDE

Date: September 5, 2014
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)
Law Enforcement Officers Killed: 1

Circumstances: On September 5, 2014, concealed handgun permit holder Michael Hrnciar, 33, shot and killed Merrillville Police Officer Nickolaus Schultz, 24, before turning the handgun on himself. Hrnciar was reportedly evicted from his condominium in July 2014 following a foreclosure. In August 2014, the condo’s property management said they had to change damaged locks at Hrnciar’s unit after discovering they had been tampered with and the unit entered. On September 5, 2014, police were called when Hrnciar’s vehicle was seen parked outside his former home and the previously closed windows of the condo were now open. Police unsuccessfully attempted to get Hrnciar to answer the door before they forced their way into the condo. With no electrical power in the unit, the two officers searched the unit by flashlight. Hrnciar, wearing police-style body armor, ambushed the officers, firing two shots from his .45 handgun. One of the rounds struck Officer Schultz, with the other hitting a wall. Hrnciar then fired a third shot, which drew return gunfire from the second officer. The Lake County Coroner’s Office later determined that Hrnciar died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and was not struck by police gunfire. According to police, Hrnciar moved from Illinois to Indiana in 2006 so that he could legally carry a handgun. Hrnciar had a valid Indiana Handgun Permit issued in 2006, the same year he bought the handgun used in the shooting. Hrnciar also had a fascination with commercial-grade fireworks and evidence indicated that he was illegally manufacturing explosives. He also possessed a half-gallon jar of high-grade processed marijuana and a non-functioning marijuana growing operation.

Source: “Police Release Timeline in Merrillville Officer’s Shooting Death,” abc7chicago.com, September 12, 2014.

Iowa

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Chandraskhar Sunkara SUICIDE

Date: June 15, 2019
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On June 15, 2019, concealed handgun permit holder Chandrasekhar Sunkara, 44, shot and killed his wife Lavanya Sunkara, 41, and their two sons Prabhas, 15, and Suhas, 11, before taking his own life in their home in Des Moines, Iowa. A family friend told media, “We are told that Chandrasekhar (Chandu) had purchased the gun 10-15 days ago when he apparently planned the homicide.” A family member said Sunkara has been depressed due to the ill-health of his older son. Four family members, two adults and two children, were staying in the home as guests, but none were injured.

Source: “Iowa tragedy update: Chandrasekhar Sunkara committed suicide after killing his wife and two children,” indianewengland.com, June 20, 2019; “Hyderabad: Depressed Chandrasekhar Sunkara had bought gun 15 days ago,” deccanchronicle.com, June 19, 2019; “Police: West Des Moines family died of gunshot wounds; man died by suicide,” desmoinesregister.com, June 17, 2019.

Iowa

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Dennis L. Koopman  SUICIDE

Date: February 21, 2014
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On February 21, 2014, concealed handgun permit holder Dennis L. Koopman, 54, shot and killed his estranged wife, LuElla Koopman, 52, and then took his own life. The shooting took place in front of LuElla Koopman’s condominium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. According to police, Dennis Koopman used his own vehicle to block in his wife after she parked her car. He then got out of the vehicle and opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing her, before turning the rifle on himself. Police say Koopman was also armed with a handgun. The couple had been married since 1981, and Dennis Koopman’s mother said his wife had asked him for a divorce the previous month and then moved out of their home. His mother said “his heart was broken” because of the pending divorce. According to his mother, Koopman was an avid hunter who also enjoyed other outdoor activities.

Source: “Police identify suspect, victim in murder-suicide in southwest Cedar Rapids,” The Gazette, February 24, 2014.

Iowa

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Robert Livingston  SUICIDE

Date: January 30, 2014
People Killed: 3 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 30, 2014 concealed handgun permit holder Robert Livingston, 47, shot and killed his 41-year-old wife Ingrid Huber Livingston and his 73- year old mother-in-law Linda Huber before taking his own life in Huber’s home. Livingston’s two minor daughters were inside their grandmother’s home at the time, but were unhurt. Cedar Rapids police had been called to Livingston’s home just two nights before the shooting, and had visited his home a total of six times since the prior June. Livingston had been issued his concealed carry permit on January 17, 2013.

Source: “Police say officers visited Cedar Rapids home two nights before shooting deaths,” www.thegazette.com, January 31, 2014.

Maryland

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Paul Warren Pardus  SUICIDE

Date: September 16, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 16, 2010, Virginia concealed handgun permit holder Paul Warren Pardus, 50, shot and wounded Johns Hopkins Hospital physician David B. Cohen with a semiautomatic handgun Pardus had hidden in his waistband. Pardus then retreated to a room where he shot and killed his 84-year-old mother, Jean Davis, before taking his own life at the Baltimore, Maryland, hospital. According to Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, Pardus “became emotionally distraught and reacted…and was overwhelmed by the news of his mother’s condition.” Pardus’ mother suffered from arthritis and rheumatism and had undergone surgery the prior week. Regarding the possible motive for the attack, Pardus’ brother stated, “I guess because he thought my mom was suffering because the surgery wasn’t successful and she probably wouldn’t be able to walk again. She was a dear, sweet lady.”

Source: “Distraught Hopkins Gunman Kills Self, Mom,” cbsnews.com, September 16, 2010; Arlington County, Virginia Circuit Court record of Commonwealth Response to Concealed Handgun Permit Application.

Massachusetts

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Jesse Brooks  SUICIDE

Date: June 22, 2021
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On June 22, 2021, concealed handgun permit holder Jesse Brooks, 38, shot and killed Jamie Dickson, 34, before turning the gun on himself. Police responded to a 911 call from Dickson and when they arrived at the house, they found her dead inside the kitchen. Police then found Brooks outside the back of the home, also dead of an apparent gunshot wound. Police believe that Brooks shot Dickson, then himself. Both Brooks and Dickson had concealed carry permits. Three children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. A 13-year-old boy picked up a four-year-old child and fled to a neighbor’s home. Police removed a three-year-old child from inside the home.

Source: “Names of deceased released in apparent murder-suicide,” thisweekinworcester.com, June 24, 2021.

Massachusetts

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Stephen Pasceri  SUICIDE

Date: January 20, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 20, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Stephen Pasceri, 55, shot and killed Dr. Michael Davidson, 44, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, before turning the gun on himself.  Pasceri reportedly asked for Dr. Davidson and sought him out before the shooting.  Pasceri’s mother was reportedly treated by Dr. Davidson before she died in November 2014.  According to Pasceri’s sister, he had been handling her death well.  She said, “This was not a bad, evil man.  Something happened, and I don’t know what.”

Source: “Boston cardiac surgeon dies hours after hospital shooting,” UPI.com, January 21, 2015; “Stephen Pasceri: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” heavy.com, January 20, 2015.

Massachusetts

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Brian Marchand  SUICIDE

Date: February 1, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On February 1, 2010, Brian Marchand shot and killed his 17-year-old daughter and severely wounded his wife with a 9mm handgun before turning the gun on himself. Police received two 911 hang-up calls from the Marchand home and immediately called back. Olivia, a cheerleader and volleyball player at Westford Academy, answered and said “she was all set and there isn’t a problem.” Shots then rang out over the phone. Police rushed to the scene and found three bodies on the floor, with Marchand’s wife clinging to her life. According to the District Attorney, the Marchands were having some “marital discord” and financial trouble. Marchand had a concealed handgun permit and was an avid hunter.

Source: “Cops: Westford man kills daughter, self in triple shooting;” Boston Herald, February 2, 2010.

Michigan

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Timothy Nelson Obeshaw.  SUICIDE

Date: December 3, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On December 3, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Timothy Nelson Obeshaw shot and killed Emma Nowling, seven, with a 9mm pistol following Nowling’s soccer practice before turning the gun on himself.  Nowling’s mother, Sharon Watson, was also shot but was in stable condition. Obeshaw was a family friend who, according to police, was recently experiencing paranoia.  According to the Taylor police chief, “He thought someone was out to get him.  Unfortunately, it appears as a result of his [instability] we now have a little girl who simply just wanted to go yesterday to play soccer, and never went home.”  Obeshaw had no criminal history and registered the gun under his own name in September 2015.

Source: “7-Year-Old Girl Killed at Soccer Practice After ‘Paranoid’ Man With Concealed Carry License Opens Fire,” alternet.org, December 5, 2015.

Michigan

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: James Robert Curry  SUICIDE

Date: August 27, 2012
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 27, 2012, concealed handgun permit holder James Robert Curry, 61, shot his wife, Peggy Curry, in the head, killing her. Curry then attempted to kill himself by firing two shots below his chin. The couple were later found in bed by authorities. James Robert Curry, critically injured, died four days later. According to his daughter, James Robert Curry was a Vietnam veteran who had struggled with post- traumatic stress disorder and had been off his medication. News reports stated that he was a hunter with many guns in his home. Curry and his wife married in 2008.

Source: “Man in apparent murder-suicide attempt dies; He and his wife were found at home just outside of Stockbridge,” Jackson Citizen Patriot, September 1, 2012.

Michigan

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Justin Luckhardt SUICIDE

Date: July 13, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On July 13, 2010, concealed handgun permit holder Justin Luckhardt, 32, shot and killed Kim Luchie, 25, at the Cabin bar in what news reports described as a “jealous, race-fueled rage” before taking his own life. Luckhardt was separated from his wife and was convinced she had an African-American boyfriend. Luckhardt, who had been golfing that day with friends, had already split a 12-pack of beer and four shots when he first visited the Cabin that night for more beer—the first of three visits. Once there, he saw Luchie, an African-American, drinking with Luckhardt’s sister-in-law. Luckhardt’s rage grew between his repeated visits to the bar. According to one of his golfing partners, “Justin was mad and was talking that right now he could kill them. And to prove that, he opened up his trunk and pulled a rifle bag out.” In the bag was an assault rifle. Luckhardt also kept a bulletproof vest in the trunk. Police believe Luckhardt kept the rifle in the trunk because of an anti-gun sentiment in his family. On his third visit to the Cabin, Luckhardt walked by four unarmed police officers who were celebrating a promotion and shot and killed Luchie with a .357 Glock pistol with a 10- round clip. Luchie, who had a long-time girlfriend, was not romantically involved with Luckhardt’s wife or his in-laws. He died from multiple shots to his neck, chest, and abdomen. Luckhardt then left the bar in his Nissan automobile. The officers called in the incident, and a police chase ensued. Luckhardt eventually crashed his car and committed suicide. He left behind a suicide note he had drafted between visits to the bar.

Source: “Jealousy, rage and race: Behind the Cabin tragedy,” Morning Sun, August 10, 2010.

Minnesota

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Andrew Engeldinger  SUICIDE

Date: September 27, 2012
People Killed: 7 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 27, 2012, concealed handgun permit holder Andrew Engeldinger, 36, armed with a 9mm semiautomatic Glock pistol, shot and killed six people and wounded two at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis before taking his own life. At the end of the workday, Engeldinger was informed by two of the company’s managers that he was losing his job. Engeldinger replied, “Oh really,” and pulled his holstered pistol and shot the two men, fatally wounding one and injuring the other. He then proceeded through the workplace, fatally shooting three additional co-workers, some of whom were trying to help other victims, as well as a United Parcel Service delivery man. He then shot another co-worker, who later died in hospital from his wounds. Engeldinger was later found by authorities in the basement of the business, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound from the Glock pistol. Witnesses described Engeldinger as calm during the mass shooting, stating that he didn’t “appear to be moving fast but walking and moving in a normal manner.” Engeldinger had reportedly struggled with mental illness for years. He had purchased his handgun legally in October 2011 from KGS Guns and Ammo in Minneapolis for “around $620.”

Source: “Sixth victim in shooting rampage dies,” MPRnews, October 11, 2012; “Andrew Engeldinger, Minnesota Gunman, Said ‘Oh Really’ Before He Started Shooting,” Associated Press, October 6, 2012; “Minneapolis office shooting suspect: Who was Andrew Engeldinger?,” www.myfoxtwincities.com, September 28, 2012.

Missouri

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Clinton Gallagher SUICIDE

Date: December 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: In December 2010, concealed handgun permit holder Clinton Gallagher, 35, shot and killed his six-year-old son Alex and then himself in a murder-suicide in his home. Court documents filed the prior week by Gallagher’s wife revealed that she feared for her son’s life as well as her own. According to news reports, in her filing she expressed concerns about a gun Gallagher owned and requested temporary custody of Alex. She wrote, ‘I’m afraid he will use it on me at this time being that he is in a rage.” In 2009, Gallagher pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge against his wife. As a result, he lost his concealed weapons permit. He then sued the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in 2010 to have his permit re-issued and won the case. Even though Gallagher’s misdemeanor domestic violence conviction prohibited him from possessing firearms under federal law, Missouri law enforcement quoted in news articles stated that the misdemeanor conviction would not have prevented Gallagher from possessing a gun in his own home. Brandy Gaylord, who ran the child care facility that Alex Gallagher had attended for the past four years stated that “he will truly be missed by everyone…He was a joy to have. His smile would light up a room. His laughter would draw you close to that room.”

Source: “Clinton Gallagher’s wife feared for her life; Gallagher identified in Lone Jack killings,” Kansas City News, December 16, 2010; “Court Documents Paint Picture in Lone Jack Killings,” KCTV5.com, December 15, 2010; “Father, Son Deaths Ruled Murder-Suicide in Lone Jack,” www.fox4kc.com, December 15, 2010.

New York

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Michael Boccardi  SUICIDE

Date: November 16, 2011
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On November 16, 2011, concealed handgun permit holder Michael Boccardi, 47, shot and killed Michael Purdy, 56, as Purdy returned home with Boccardi’s estranged wife MaryAnn Boccardi. Boccardi, who was laying in wait at Purdy’s home, fired several shots at Purdy with his Glock .40 pistol as he was exiting the Mercury Sable that belonged to Boccardi’s wife. Purdy was struck once in the head and collapsed. Boccardi then jumped into the car and told his wife to drive. She tried to talk to her husband, who then shot himself in the head. The two men were described as “close friends” and each family had four children.

Source: “Friends’ murder-suicide shootings stun Mahopac,” LoHud.com, November 17, 2011.

New York

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Jiverly Wong  SUICIDE

Date: April 3, 2009
People Killed: 14 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On April 3, 2009, concealed handgun permit holder Jiverly Wong, 41, walked into the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York, where he had recently taken an English class, and opened fire, killing 13 former classmates before killing himself.  Wong fired 98 shots in approximately one minute from his two pistols, a 9mm and a 45 caliber.  Just before the shooting, Wong sent a letter to a Syracuse TV station saying that the police were spying on him, sneaking into his home, and attempting to get into car crashes with him.  Wong was granted a concealed carry permit in Broome County, New York in 1997 which was still valid at the time of the shooting as permits issued there, unlike in other parts of the state of New York, do not have to be renewed.

Source: “Wong raised concerns with police in 1990s,” USA Today, April 19, 2009; “Binghamton Killer Kept His Fury Private,” New York Times, April 11, 2009; “Licensed to kill? Gunmen in killings had permits,” Associated Press, April 7, 2009.

North Carolina

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Richard Albert Nielsen  SUICIDE

Date: February 6, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On February 6, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Richard Albert Nielsen, 62, shot and killed Russell Allen Mitchell, 38, and wounded Jessica Lynn Modolo, 29, with a Ruger .380 pistol before turning the handgun on himself.  According to the district attorney, Nielsen, Mitchell, and Modolo were in a business relationship that had turned sour.  Nielsen approached Mitchell at a gas station at the Monkey Junction Walmart and called him by name.  When Mitchell turned around Nielsen shot him once in the head at point blank range.  Nielsen then shot Modolo in the head and abdomen as she sat in her car at the gas pump.  Modolo’s six-year-old son, and Mitchell’s nine- and seven-year-old daughters were also in the car.  Modolo, who was four months pregnant at the time of the shooting was in critical condition but her unborn child died.  Nielsen purchased the pistol less than an hour before the shooting.

Source: “Legal weapon, tragic outcome,” starnewsonline.com, February 10, 2015; “Murder-suicide stemmed from business dispute; unborn child dies,” starnewsonline.com, February 7, 2015.

North Carolina

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: William Maxwell SUICIDE

Date: November 2, 2009
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On November 2, 2009, William Maxwell shot and killed his wife Kathryn and their teenage children Conner and Cameron before killing himself. Neighbors could not say what drove a local businessman and basketball coach at the religious school where his teenagers attended classes to murder his family. Friends described the Maxwells as active churchgoers and good neighbors. Earlier on the day of the shooting, friends and relatives had gathered at the family’s home to “see if they could lift the normally happy dad from his funk.” Maxwell obtained a concealed handgun permit in January 2008.

Source: “Friends tried to help NC man who killed family,” The Associated Press, November 5, 2009; “Police: NC father killed wife, 2 children, self,” The Associated Press, November 3, 2009.

North Dakota

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Lance Rick  SUICIDE

Date: May 30, 2015
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On May 30, 2015, concealed handgun permit holder Lance Rick, 44, shot and killed his wife Sharon Connell-Rick, 44, with a handgun in the basement of the couple’s home before turning the gun on himself.  Connell-Rick had filed for divorce in March 2015 and Lance Rick had moved to Washington where he was living with another woman.  Rick, an “avid gun collector,” was expected to meet his wife at their home around 5pm to return some items to her.  Instead, he showed up two hours early, armed with a gun he had brought with him on his flight from Washington to Fargo.  According to police, Rick shot his wife once in the body and once in the head before shooting himself in the head.  Rick had permits to carry a weapon issued from both North Dakota and Utah.

Source:“New details emerge about West Fargo murder-suicide,” West Fargo Pioneer, October 14, 2015.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Steve Stephens  SUICIDE

Date: April 16, 2017
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On April 16, 2017, concealed handgun permit holder Steve Stephens, 37, shot and killed Robert Godwin Sr., 74, as Godwin was collecting aluminum cans on East 93rd Street in Cleveland, Ohio. Stephens, who did not know Godwin prior to the shooting, posted a video of the murder on Facebook shortly after it happened. In the video, Stephens forced Godwin to say the name of Stephens’ girlfriend before shooting him and claimed to have killed more than a dozen other people, which remains unsubstantiated. Stephens led police on a multi-state manhunt before shooting and killing himself in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Police recovered a .45 Glock handgun from his car, which is believed to be the murder weapon.

Source: “Gun believed to be murder weapon found in Steve Stephens’ car,” www.thedenverchannel.com, April 19, 2017; “Cleveland Facebook murder suspect shot, killed himself after pursuit: Police,” www.abcnews.go.com, April 18, 2017; “Facebook shooting suspect has concealed carry license, police say,” www.cleveland.com, April 17, 2017; “Multistate manhunt underway for suspect in Facebook homicide video,” www.washingtonpost.com, April 17, 2017; “Woman targeted by Facebook killer is cooperating with police, source says,” www.cleveland.com, April 17, 2017.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Maurizio Kollstedt  SUICIDE

Date: November 29, 2013
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On November 29, 2013, concealed handgun permit holder Maurizio Kollstedt, 43, shot and killed his girlfriend, 30-year-old Tabitha Lynn Windham, before turning the gun on himself. According to a friend and neighbor of Kollstedt’s, “He was pretty proud of the fact that he got his conceal carry permit recently, and I’m a conceal carry holder myself and I know the background checks.” According to the same neighbor, Kollstedt had been “having trouble with his girlfriend.”

Source: “Police ID 2 killed in Colerain Twp. murder-suicide,” fox19.com, November 29, 2013; “Two dead in Colerain Township murder-suicide,” wcpo.com, November 29, 2013.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Charles Kropinak  SUICIDE

Date: September 8, 2013
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 8, 2013, concealed handgun permit holder Charles Kropinak, 36, shot and killed his estranged girlfriend Sylvia Maillis, 37, before turning the handgun on himself. According to police, Maillis was working the 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift at a Walmart in Salem, Ohio, when she took a break with co-workers at a nearby Taco Bell and Dunkin’ Donuts before returning to the employee parking lot. Kropinak then pulled into a nearby parking space and exited his vehicle. Maillis got out of the vehicle she was in and an argument ensued. Kropinak brandished his Ruger 9mm pistol and shot Maillis multiple times before taking his own life. Maillis had obtained a protection order from Mahoning County against Kropinak in the past, but it was not clear if it was still active at the time of the shooting.

Source: “Deaths ruled murder-suicide,” Salem News, September 9, 2013.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Brian Scott Kolesar  SUICIDE

Date: October 17, 2011
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On October 17, 2011, concealed handgun permit holder Brian Scott Kolesar, 33, shot his girlfriend, Julie Arnold, 35, and her father, Charles W. Cheadle, 75, along an Ohio highway before turning his gun on himself. The three had been riding in a maroon Honda when Kolesar shot Cheadle and then Arnold. Both Cheadle and Kolesar died, while Arnold was admitted to the hospital with two gunshot wounds to the chest. Arnold and Kolesar had been involved in what press accounts characterized as a “troubled relationship” to the point where in March 2011 Arnold obtained a protective order against Kolesar. In court documents Arnold stated, “I’m asking for this protection order because I’m afraid if he gets the opportunity to harm me he will….He has threatened the life of our child many times….He has threatened to take his own life several times….I feel he is not stable and could use a weapon at any time.” The next month, Arnold asked the court to dismiss the protective order since Kolesar had moved to a treatment facility in Florida. At the time of the shooting, Kolesar was living in the home that Arnold and Cheadle shared. The shooting occurred after Arnold reported that she’d thought Kolesar had put laundry detergent in their child’s baby bottle and that she wanted him to move out of the home. After the police were called, he agreed to move out if he could retrieve some items from a storage locker. The three were making this trip when the murder-suicide occurred.

Source: “Shooter had history of violence,” Newark Advocate, October 20, 2011; “Licking County shooting victim had sought protection,” LancasterEagleGazete.com, October 19, 2011.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Randy Shrodes  SUICIDE

Date: September 2, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 2, 2010, concealed handgun permit holder Randy Shrodes used a shotgun to kill his wife Amy, before using the gun to take his own life. According to court records, Shrodes had two pending criminal cases against him. The court date of one—failure to control a vehicle and operating a vehicle under the influence—was scheduled for the day of the murder-suicide. In the second case Shrodes was charged with using a weapon while intoxicated and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Shrodes, carrying a passenger, crashed his motorcycle into a median around 10:30 PM on August 22. Because he refused to take a sobriety test, Shrodes was cited for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Shrodes was also in possession of a 38 caliber handgun which resulted in the weapons charge. Shrodes surrendered the handgun to the Highway Patrol on the night of the crash, but had the shotgun and other firearms at home. Shrodes was a former city employee, but was recently unemployed. His father was ex-police chief and former Mayor Lloyd “Bud” Shrodes, who had recently passed away. News reports stated that Shrodes’ son Jeremy “said his father had been going through a rough time but nobody saw this coming.” Police said that they had never responded to a domestic violence call at the couple’s home.

Source: “Police: Man Who Killed Wife, Self Had Criminal Charges Pending,” wtov9.com, September 3, 2010.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Emmitt Weaver SUICIDE

Date: April 7, 2009
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On April 7, 2009, 66-year-old Emmitt Weaver shot and killed his wife Betty, also 66, with a small caliber handgun and then turned the gun on himself. Deputies found both bodies in the living room of their home. Betty Weaver was lying face down with two gunshot wounds, and Emmitt Weaver was found in his recliner with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The couple had reportedly been arguing, and Emmitt Weaver suffered from an unspecified medical condition. Emmitt Weaver was a hunter, kept several rifles in his home, and had a concealed handgun permit.

Source: “Police investigating murder-suicide,” The News-Messenger, April 9, 2009.

Ohio

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Anthony Rodecker  SUICIDE

Date: October 3, 2008
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On October 3, 2008, police discovered the bodies of Anthony Rodecker and his ex-girlfriend Brenda Keeler. Both had been shot and a gun was found nearby in what police suspected was a murder-suicide. Rodecker had been banned from the café where Keeler bartended. Her relatives had urged her not to give in to his requests to see her when he threatened to kill himself if she refused. Rodecker had a concealed handgun permit that he obtained in Union County, Ohio.

Source: “2 shot dead on Far West Side; Authorities suspect murder-suicide in deaths of woman, former boyfriend,” Columbus Dispatch, October 4, 2008.

Oregon

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Zachary Brimhall  SUICIDE

Date: August 18-19, 2014
People Killed: 3 (including shooter)

Circumstances: Concealed handgun permit holder Zachary Brimhall, 32, shot and killed his father, Ray Brimhall, on the evening of August 18, 2014, before going on a shooting rampage and killing a stranger who was camping on the beach, and then killing himself. Brimhall’s mother said he was “a bit of a loner” who “didn’t have many friends, if any,” according to the district attorney. Brimhall and his father were both gun collectors and he had been target shooting with his parents earlier that day. After his parents left, Brimhall called his father to say his car had broken down, though this was later proven to be a ruse. When his father arrived, authorities say Brimhall used handguns to shoot him in the head and the chest. Brimhall then drove to a beach campground. Early in the morning of August 19, he opened fire on parked vehicles with a Romanian AK-SAR-1 assault rifle, killing David Jesse Hortman, 43, as he slept in his car. Brimhall then shot himself with a .44 Magnum revolver. Inside his vehicle, police found 10 firearms as well as small explosives. Brimhall also left notes that said: “The only thing that is relevant, however, is that I’m mentally ill, and have been my entire life.” He added: “I reached a point where it was either kill myself, or kill a bunch of other people first, and then kill myself. I chose the latter…See you in hell.”

Source: “Notes were found in shooter’s vehicle,” TheWorldLink.com, August 22, 2014; “Oregon gunman planned to kill ‘bunch’ of people,” Associated Press, August 22, 2014.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Za Uk Lian  SUICIDE

Date: April 21, 2021
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On April 21, 2021, concealed handgun permit holder Za Uk Lian, 45, shot and killed Ramon Ramirez, 31, before turning the gun on himself. Shortly before 5:00 AM Lian shot at a woman on Route 22 in Upper Macungie Township. The woman was not injured. Lian then pulled into a Wawa parking lot and shot and wounded a man in a Jeep before shooting and killing Ramirez as he was pumping gas. Lian then shot and killed himself. According to District Attorney Jim Martin, Lian purchased a .40 pistol legally in January 2021 and applied for a concealed carry permit in February, which he received in March.

Source: “Gunman in Lehigh Valley shooting spree had concealed carry permit, district attorney says,” 6abc.com, April 22, 2021.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Jordan Witmer  SUICIDE

Date: January 24, 2019
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On January 24, 2019, concealed handgun permit holder Jordan Witmer, 21, fatally shot Dean Beachy, 61, and his son Steven Beachy, 19, at P.J. Harrigan’s Bar and Grill at the Ramada Inn in State College, Pennsylvania. The Beachys, auctioneers from Ohio, were visiting for a horse auction and had attempted to intervene when Witmer and his former girlfriend, Nicole Abrino, 21, were arguing. Abrino was also shot by Witmer, but survived the attack. After fleeing the scene and crashing his car roughly a mile away, Witmer then shot through a sliding glass door of a nearby house. Once inside, he shot and killed George McCormick, 82, before killing himself. His wife, also home at the time, called the police after hiding in a locked room. It was the night of the McCormicks’ 60th wedding anniversary. It was later determined that Witmer had pled guilty to three misdemeanors related to a drunk driving crash just 10 days before the shootings.

Source: “Details emerge about shooting rampage near Penn State,” tucsonnewsnow.com, January 26, 2019; “Vigil to be held for victims of State College shooting,” wjactv.com, January 26, 2019; “Fatal State College shootings: The timeline, the victims, the shooter and more,” pennlive.com, January 26, 2019.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Tyrell Styles  SUICIDE

Date: July 26, 2014
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On July 26, 2014, concealed handgun permit holder Tyrell Styles, 26, shot and killed his five-year-old son Cion Styles, and wounded the boy’s mother, Sheyma Washington, before shooting himself in the head. According to police, Tyrell Styles shot Cion in the head and Washington in the face and buttocks outside an apartment building before fleeing in a white Pontiac Grand Prix. A few minutes later, police observed his car running red lights and crashing into a pickup truck before continuing with police in pursuit. The car turned onto a dead end street and as officers approached the stopped vehicle Styles shot himself in the head.

Source: “Police: Dad fatally shoots 5-year-old son; turns gun on boy’s mother, self,” philly.com, July 29, 2014.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Melissa Harris  SUICIDE

Date: June 5, 2011
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On June 5, 2011, concealed handgun permit holder Melissa Harris, 43, shot and killed her estranged partner, Lisa Goss, 46, in Goss’ home with a 38 caliber handgun before taking her own life. Harris had lived with Goss up until two months prior and was moving some items out of the home where Goss lived with her two children when an argument broke out. According to news reports, Goss’ 17-year-old son heard the argument and then a loud bang. When he opened his bedroom door, Harris fired a shot at him, missing. The teen locked himself in his room and called 911, then heard another shot. When police arrived they found Harris and Goss, each dead from a single bullet wound to the head.

Source: “York woman fatally shot ex-girlfriend, then killed herself,” The York Dispatch, June 6, 2011.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: George Sodini  SUICIDE

Date: August 4, 2009
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On August 4, 2009, George Sodini, 48, opened fire at an LA Fitness Center in Collier, Pennsylvania, killing three women and wounding nine others before turning the gun on himself. Sodini entered the club shortly before 8:00 PM armed with two 9mm pistols with 30-round magazines, a .45 pistol, and a .32 pistol. He was also carrying two additional 30-round magazines in a gym bag. Sodini then walked into an exercise class where an aerobics class was underway and turned the lights off. He then walked further into the room and started firing, emptying one of his 9mm pistols. Drawing the second 9mm, he opened fire again, stopping with 12 rounds still in the magazine. Sodini fired at least 36 rounds from his two 9mm pistols before shooting himself in the head with the .45 handgun. The entire episode lasted approximately one minute. A note recovered from Sodini’s bag complained about being rejected by women and expressed his hatred toward them. Detectives found four rifles and shotguns in his house as well as a typewritten note in which Sodini said he planned to kill himself. Sodini had a concealed handgun permit and legally possessed the guns used in the shooting. In his blog, Sodini revealed that he had attempted to carry out the shooting on a prior occasion, entering the club with loaded weapons, but did not go through with the attack. In the journal he also expressed rage at family members and frustration at not being able to “connect” with women. The day before the shooting he wrote, “I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot….Total effort needed. Tomorrow is the big day.”

Source: “LA Fitness shooter had lethal plan,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 6, 2009.

Pennsylvania

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: George Zadolnny  SUICIDE

Date: December 16, 2008
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On December 16, 2008, George Zadolnny, 59, shot and killed Deborah Bachak, 46, at the Lockheed plant where the two worked. Zadolnny then shot and killed himself. The two had been dating but Bachak had ended the relationship several weeks earlier. Zadolnny was one of only a few allowed to have a gun in the facility. He was the employee of an outside security company.

Source: “Murder-suicide at plant,” Patriot News, December 17, 2008; “Murder-Suicide at Lockheed Martin Plant,” wnep.com, December 16, 2008.

South Carolina

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: James Forrest Mobley  SUICIDE

Date: May 10, 2007
People Killed: 3 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On May 10, 2007, James Forrest Mobley shot and killed two fellow workers at a Best Buy construction site before turning his handgun on himself. Mobley had overheard the two co-workers discussing him, including one who called him crazy. Mobley grabbed his handgun from his lunch pail and shot the two men 14 times before shooting himself in the head. During the incident he stopped to reload so that he could continue shooting. Mobley had been convicted of marijuana possession in 1975, had an animal complaint, and was subject to a breach of peace charge. Investigators confirmed that Mobley possessed a concealed handgun permit.

Source: “How Thursday’s construction site shooting rampage unfolded,” Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC), May 12, 2007; “Gunman killed 2 after being called ‘crazy,’” The Myrtle Beach Sun-News (South Carolina), May 12, 2007.

Tennessee

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Jason Nasca  SUICIDE

Date: December 7, 2016
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On December 7, 2016, concealed handgun permit holder Jason Nasca, 41, shot and killed Nicholas Strange, 23, before turning the gun on himself in the parking lot of a Weigel’s convenience store in Knoxville. According to the sheriff’s office, the shooting occurred after a verbal altercation between the two men, who did not know each other.

Source: “Shooting leaves two dead in Knox County,” Local 8 Now, December 8, 2016.

Tennessee

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Ricky Swafford  SUICIDE

Date: September 23, 2016
People Killed: 3 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 23, 2016, concealed handgun permit holder Ricky Swafford, 45, shot and killed James Zotter, 44, and Sandra Cooley, 68, before turning the gun on himself. On the morning of the shooting, Swafford was meeting with his supervisors at the Thomas & Betts Corporation plant where he worked, when he reportedly became upset and left the building. Swafford returned a short time later and fatally shot Zotter and Cooley. Swafford was later found dead in a bathroom at the factory from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Swafford had worked at the factory for 15 years. In 2013, Tennessee enacted a law allowing workers with a concealed handgun permit to store firearms in vehicles parked at work regardless of employers’ weapons policies.

Source: “The Latest: Suspect in factory shooting had gun carry permit,” Associated Press, September 23, 2016.

Tennessee

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Austin Agee  SUICIDE

Date: March 2009
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: In March 2009, Austin Agee shot and killed Lisa Davis and dumped her body in a field where he used to ride four-wheelers. On March 7, 2009, Agee, Davis, and three other acquaintances partied together in the Beale Street entertainment district in Memphis. The group dropped Davis off at her residence early Sunday morning, but Agee is believed to have returned to the house. Friends reported Davis missing on Sunday when she failed to show up for work at Bumpus Harley-Davidson. On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Agee fatally shot himself after detectives arrived at his residence to question him as a “person of interest” in the Davis disappearance. A note found at his residence quoted Agee as being sorry for what he had done and revealed where the body could be found. Agee had a concealed handgun permit which was issued on November 10, 2008.

Source: “Details Emerge About Tennessee Model Slain in Mysterious Murder,” FoxNews.com, March 13, 2009; “Double tragedy: Suspect’s note leads to remains of missing Bartlett woman in Lakeland field,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, March 10, 2009.

Texas

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: William Francis Kenny  SUICIDE

Date: April 3, 2017
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On April 3, 2017, concealed handgun permit holder William Francis Kenny, 64, shot and killed Assistant Chief Deputy Constable Clint Greenwood moments after Greenwood pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse where he worked in Baytown, Texas. Kenny was found dead the next day from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A website linked to Kenny revealed a long-standing grudge against Harris County, Texas police, which started after a 2012 complaint made to police about Kenny by Kenny’s then father-in-law. Clint Greenwood’s name was mentioned on the website several times. Ballistics confirmed that the same 9mm Taurus pistol found on Kenny was used to murder Greenwood. The photo on Kenny’s concealed carry license was used to match him to surveillance video from Greenwood’s murder.

Source: “Ballistics prove Houston cop killer used same gun on himself, investigators confirm,” www.chron.com, April 14, 2017; “Closer look at Asst. Chief Deputy Greenwood’s murder suspect,” www.abc13.com, April 10, 2017; “Deputy constable killed in ambush mourned as ‘cop’s cop’,” www.houstonchronicle.com, April 4, 2017.

Texas

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Tan Do  SUICIDE

Date: July 23, 2011
People Killed: 6 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On July 23, 2011, concealed handgun permit holder Tan Do, 35, opened fire at his son’s 11th birthday party being held at the Forum Roller World in Grand Prairie, Texas, killing the boy’s mother and four members of her family before taking his own life. The rink was closed for the private party which was attended by approximately 30 family and friends. Do asked his children to leave the area before he began the attack. According to news reports, Do’s wife had obtained a protective order against him in December 2010 but had withdrawn it later against a prosecutor’s advice “because she wanted to give him another chance.” Do was reported to have been a domestic abuser who had threatened his wife with firearms. Walt Hedrick, owner of the roller rink, told reporters, “Kids were having fun and all of a sudden Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Source: “Police Offer Counseling After Roller Rink Rampage,” publicbroadcasting.net, July 25, 2011; “‘I hope I’m making the right decision’: Wife of Texas gunman withdrew protection order against him months before he shot her and family dead at son’s roller rink birthday party,” MailOnline, July 25, 2011.

Texas

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Moises Gonzalez  SUICIDE

Date: December 30, 2008
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On December 30, 2008, Moises Gonzalez, 28, embarked on a two-day crime spree that began when he fired shots into ex-girlfriend Maura Marroquin’s car in a busy McAllen intersection. Gonzalez then kidnapped Marroquin, 23 and the mother of a three-year-old, at gunpoint and commenced a series of crimes spread over approximately a dozen jurisdictions that included stealing four cars, brandishing a gun at victims, and eluding police in high-speed chases. At one point, McAllen police took the unusual step of calling a press conference to warn the public about Gonzalez’s growing propensity for violence. Gonzalez, who had a concealed handgun permit, eventually killed Marroquin in an H.E.B. supermarket, shooting her twice in the torso. He then stole a Cadillac which he crashed into the entrance of a Walmart, plowing through the check-out aisles. He then turned his gun on himself, ending his life. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino told reporters that he had never seen a more violent crime spree in more than 20 years as a law enforcement officer, stating, “It was very obvious this was going to end violently. Sure as hell, that’s the way it turned out.”

Source: “New Year’s murder-suicide in Texas stores,” Associated Press at dallasnews.com, January 2, 2009; “Murder-suicide perpetrator described as ‘very jealous person,’” themonitor.com, January 2, 2009; “Two dead in crime spree, man goes on rampage killing ex-girlfriend, self,” brownsvilleherald.com, January 1, 2009.

Utah

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Justin Matern  SUICIDE

Date: December 17, 2009
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On December 17, 2009, Justin Matern shot and killed his wife and two sons, ages six and four, before turning the gun on himself. Matern killed his family members at the apartment his wife had moved into after leaving him. Prior to the shooting, Matern wrote a note he left at work describing his plans. He also sent text messages after the killings. The couple had experienced money problems including state- imposed tax liens in 2004 and 2008. Relatives said that Matern was distraught over the separation from his wife. Matern’s daughter said that he obtained his concealed handgun permit when the family had previously lived in a Salt Lake City neighborhood that he feared was unsafe.

Source: “Murdered family had money troubles, anxieties,” Salt Lake Tribune, December 19, 2009.

Virginia

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Timothy Drew  SUICIDE

Date: September 23, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 23, 2010, concealed handgun permit holder Timothy Drew, 42, shot and killed his estranged wife Kimberly Drew, 44, before taking his own life in the home they once shared. Kimberly Drew, an executive assistant at First Citizens Bank in Roanoke, Virginia, was found murdered on her bed. Timothy Drew, a former Roanoke firefighter who supervised locomotive maintenance for Norfolk Southern, was found dead atop her body. The Drews had been married for nearly 20 years and were scheduled for a divorce court hearing that upcoming Tuesday. Kimberly Drew described her husband as violent and abusive. Days before the shooting, Timothy Drew was charged with assaulting his estranged wife’s current boyfriend, Michael “Andy” Stegall. Stegall, also a concealed handgun permit holder, said that Drew called him a name, threatened to kill him, threw him to the ground, hit him in the eye, and bit him on the arm. Drew also swore out a warrant against Stegall for brandishing a firearm and assault as a result of the fight. Stegall’s estranged wife Rhonda was friends with Timothy Drew and spoke with him regularly, saying, “This was extremely out of character for him….I know him as a caring father. I never saw any anger issues. I never saw any of that.” When the Drews’ children, ages 17 and 11, arrived home at their mother’s house they were greeted by “police cars, yellow crime-scene tape and horrified neighbors.” They told police that their father “seemed depressed about everything that was going on with…[the]…separation.”

Source: “Vinton couple found dead in likely murder-suicide,” roanake.com, September 24, 2010.

Virginia

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Robert Klosterman SUICIDE

Date: May 2, 2010
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On May 2, 2010, former Navy Captain Robert Klosterman, 64, shot and killed his wife Rebecca, 57, in their home before shooting himself to death. Klosterman, a fighter pilot and combat veteran who had served as the captain of the Naval carrier USS Stennis, was in the early stages of divorce. According to news reports, Rebecca Klosterman filed for divorce in 2008. Soon after that the relationship turned violent and Rebecca filed a protective order against Robert after she reported that he had pointed a gun at her. A judge granted the protective order and at the same time the court revoked Robert Klosterman’s concealed handgun permit (which he had possessed since 2005). Soon after, a more long-term protective order was denied and a judge dismissed the case, stating that there was not sufficient evidence showing that Robert had pointed the gun at Rebecca. Robert Klosterman’s attorney then filed a motion to allow the concealed handgun permit to be reinstated.

Source: “As officer rose, marriage crumbled, ending in murder-suicide,” Pilotonline.com, May 4, 2010; “Husband and wife found dead in Norfolk home in apparent murder-suicide,” www.wtkr.com, May 3, 2010.

Virginia

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Aaron Poseidon Jackson  SUICIDE

Date: May 5, 2008
People Killed: 4 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On May 5, 2008, Aaron Poseidon Jackson, 24, shot and killed his two children, one-year-old Aaron Neptune Jackson and two-year-old Nicole Aaron Jackson, and their mother Latasha Nicole Thomas, before taking his own life. Jackson, who had a concealed handgun permit, was wearing body armor and was surrounded by guns and ammunition when police found him dead in their home in the Walt Lou Trailer Park. Jackson shot his wife with an AK-47 type WASR-10 assault rifle. He shot his children, found in a crib in a bedroom they shared, with a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver. Jackson killed himself with the revolver. Police later searched the trailer and seized at least seven guns, six knives, a machete, a sword, and numerous boxes of ammunition.

Source: “Police: Man killed children and their mother before turning gun on himself,” fredericksburg.com, May 6, 2008; Stafford County Sheriffs Office Incident Report.

Washington

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Ian Stawicki  SUICIDE

Date: May 30, 2012
People Killed: 6 (including shooter)

Circumstances: At approximately 11:00 AM on May 30, 2012, concealed handgun permit holder Ian Stawicki, 40, opened fire at Café Racer in Seattle’s University District, killing four of the restaurant’s patrons. Stawicki had been banned from the Café as the result of past behavior and was reminded of that when he returned that morning. According to a news report quoting a Café employee who was the only person shot who survived, “It was clear…that Stawicki wanted everyone dead, shooting the victims once and `then he double-tapped everyone.’” Stawicki, armed with two 45 caliber handguns, then left the restaurant and 30 minutes after the shooting confronted Gloria Leonidas, a mother of two. Stawicki fatally shot Leonidas and stole her Mercedes SUV. The vehicle was eventually found abandoned by police, with a gun on the seat. While searching the area law enforcement came upon Stawicki, who, when ordered to drop his weapon, put the gun to his head and fatally shot himself. Stawicki had suffered from mental illness for years. His family, fearing for his deteriorating mental condition, tried unsuccessfully to have his carry permit revoked. Said his father, “The response to us was, there’s nothing we can do, he’s not a threat to himself or others, or we haven’t had a report of it, or we haven’t had to pick him up—call us when it’s worse. And now it’s too late—much worse now, six people are dead.”

Source: “Survivor of Café Racer massacre speaks about shooting,” mynorthwest.com, June 12, 2012; “Seattle gun massacre hero reveals he vowed to ‘never hide under the table’ after brother died in 9/11,” The Daily Mail, June 1, 2012; “Seattle Café Shooter Kills 5, and Himself After Citywide Manhunt,” abcnewsgo.com, May 31, 2012; “Family: Seattle gunman had a concealed weapon permit,” komonews.com, May 31, 2012.

West Virginia

Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Barry Allen Stewart and Kimberly Ann Stines SUICIDE

Date: September 3, 2013
People Killed: 2 (including shooter)

Circumstances: On September 3, 2013, concealed handgun permit holders Barry Allen Stewart, 31, and Kimberly Ann Stines, 34, were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in Stewart’s home.  The firearm believed to be used in the shootings was found in the home, but the identity of the shooter was not reported.   Stewart and Stines were married in January 2010 and divorced in October of the same year though Stines continued to live at the residence from time to time.  Stines filed a domestic violence petition against Stewart which was dismissed for lack of evidence in March 2013.

Source: “Family shocked by couple’s deaths,” herald-dispatch.com, September 6, 2013; “Two dead in domestic shooting,” herald-dispatch.com, September 3, 2013; “Domestic violence suspected after 2 found dead near Huntington,” Charleston Daily Mail, September 3, 2013.