Luby's Massacre

On October 16, 1991, at 12:39 p.m., George Jo Hennard, thirty-five, drove his pickup truck through the front window of Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and started firing two semi-automatic pistols at the occupants. Members of the Killeen Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived less than five minutes later and a gun battle commenced. At approximately 12:51, Hennard shot himself in the cafeteria’s restroom alcove, after being wounded by police. In the subsequent medical evacuation, twenty-two people were found dead; a twenty-third died three days later.

George Hennard Jr. was born in Sayre, Pennsylvania. His father, Dr. Georges Marcel Hennard, was an orthopedic resident. Because his father was transferred to various Army hospitals around the country, the family was shuttled from place to place. A grade-school friend, who met Hennard when the family lived at the White Sands Missile Range Army Base, recalled that Hennard was a cool, outgoing kid. However, something changed when Hennard showed up at school beaten and bruised with his hair cut. Hennard’s friend said that George was never the same after that and became completely introverted.

After graduating from high school in 1974, Hennard joined the Navy and three years later signed up with the Merchant Marine. Beginning in 1981, he set out on the first of 37 overseas voyages. That’s when his troubles began including an arrest for possession of marijuana and suspension of his seaman’s papers due to a racial incident. Again in 1989 he lost his seaman’s license for marijuana possession and enrolled in a substance-abuse program in Houston. He drifted from job to job, mostly in construction. He spent time with his mother in Nevada and at the colonial home at 301 East 14th in Belton that his family purchased in 1980 after moving to Fort Hood. 

Hennard was known for his derogatory remarks about women, and he sent a bizarre letter to two sisters who lived in his Belton neighborhood. He referred to women as “vipers.” About ten days before the Luby’s massacre, Hennard quit his job at a Copperas Cove cement company. Coworkers recall that Hennard wondered aloud what would happen if he killed someone and made reference to certain women who had given him problems. 

The following day, October 16, was National Bosses’ Days and the atmosphere was festive in Luby’s as employees treated their bosses to lunch. It was a popular gathering spot in Killeen and that day was packed with 150 people when Hennard’s blue 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck crashed through the plate-glass front window. Hennard was armed with two powerful 9-mm semiautomatic pistols and began shooting immediately, stalking the restaurant choosing those who would die—most of whom were women. He shouted, “All women of Killeen and Belton are vipers! See what you’ve done to me and my family!” 

People could do nothing more than seek refuge under tables, chairs, and benches. There was an eerie silence—no screaming, no scramble for the door, no panic. People were paralyzed with fear. Tommy Vaughan, an auto mechanic, was certain he was next, and he managed to hurl himself through a plate glass window. Dozens of people were right behind him, making their escape. A third of the lunchtime crowd was able to flee. By the time police arrived, Hennard had killed 22 people at the scene; one died later and 27 others were wounded. Exchanging fire with two officers for a few minutes, Hennard dashed toward the rest rooms and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Only 10 minutes had passed. At the time, it was the worst mass murder in U.S. history.

Chin, Paula. "A Texas Massacre." People Magazine, November 04, 1991. 

Terry, Don. "Portrait of Texas Killer: Impatient and Troubled." The New York Times, October 16, 1991.