Tyrone Mitchell
49th Street Elementary School — February 24, 1984
Los Angeles, California
- Colt AR‑15 SP1 semi‑automatic rifle
- 12‑gauge Stoeger Coach Gun
- Mossberg 500 Persuader 12‑gauge pump‑action shotgun
Crime
At about 2:15 on a Friday afternoon in late February 1984, gunfire erupted from across the street as students were being dismissed from 49th Street Elementary School. Children playing in the yard ran for cover as dozens of rounds struck the playground, sidewalk, and yard. Teachers, aides, and a playground supervisor tried desperately to help the children and shield them from the hail of bullets.
From the second story of his house, Mitchell fired repeatedly with an AR‑15 rifle and shotguns at anyone he saw. After the shooting, he barricaded himself inside and a lengthy police standoff ensued. Law enforcement eventually used tear gas to enter the building and found Mitchell dead of a self‑inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Victims
- Shala Eubanks, 10 — shot and killed at the playground
- Carlos Lopez, 24 — shot and killed while walking by the school
- Albert Jones, 50 — wounded, playground supervisor
- Alicia Pena, 10 — wounded by gunfire
- Anna Gonzales, 8 — wounded
- Eloisa Cruz, 10 — wounded
- Iran Macias, 10 — wounded
- Jose Gavino, 11 — wounded
- Jose Prado, 12 — wounded
- Latreece Williams, 11 — wounded
- Mario Hernandez, 9 — wounded
- Mayra Cruz, 10 — wounded
- Stephen Gomez, 9 — wounded
- Victoriano Ulloa, 11 — wounded
Motive
His behavior leading up to the attack suggested deep psychological distress, perhaps exacerbated by traumatic losses and untreated mental health issues. Neighbors and officials reported prior threats and other warning signs that were not acted on effectively. Families later filed claims against the city and district alleging negligence in not responding to earlier warnings. Police ultimately treated this shooting as the act of a deeply distressed individual with a long history of irrational and violent behavior rather than one driven by a coherent ideological or interpersonal grievance.
Reputation
Mitchell lived in the house from which he shot; the schoolyard was visible from his second‑story window. Witnesses and later reporting described him as having a long history of erratic behavior and paranoia and tragic personal losses — relatives among them — that deeply affected his mental health.
Neighbors reported Mitchell displayed erratic and threatening behavior in the years before the shooting, including firing weapons at planes overhead, threatening people with weapons, and even firing into the empty playground weeks before the attack. county officials once declared him “unemployable” because of severe anxiety neurosis, and he had a long history of mental health issues.
Gear
-Upbringing
Mitchell had a complex and troubled background. Childhood friends and later retrospective accounts say he was once a popular student and track athlete, but lost many close family members — including both parents, siblings, and his grandmother — in the Jonestown mass suicide‑murder in 1978, where more than 900 members of the People’s Temple died. He had intended to be with them but was delayed due to passport problems.
Aftermath
Absenteeism surged as students stayed home. Counselors were hired to talk to staff and anyone affected by the attack and a plaque was installed in honor of Shala Eubanks.
While it did not immediately lead to sweeping national gun law changes, it did influence local policy and helped shape early discussions on crisis response, school safety, and mental‑health‑focused policing. The incident was one of the catalysts in Los Angeles for greater coordination between police and mental health professionals, aimed at preventing violent incidents by people exhibiting severe distress.
Michael Evan Feher
Autzen Stadium, University of Oregon — November 12, 1984
Eugene, Oregon
- Colt AR‑15 SP1
- Ruger Mini‑14
Crime
One morning in November, Michael Evan Feher took up a position at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, donning camouflage and a blackened face. Using two stolen .223‑caliber rifles — a Colt AR‑15 SP1 and a Ruger Mini‑14 — he fired on people in and around the stadium in what amounted to a sniper attack. At about 8:30 in the morning, Feher shot and killed one person — Christopher Brathwaite, a former University of Oregon track star who had competed in the Olympics for Trinidad and Tobago. Afterward, Feher continued to fire sporadically, wounding another man before moving about the stadium.
During the hours‑long incident, authorities received reports of shots from multiple directions and saw traces of gunfire scattered through paths, bike trails, and near adjacent areas. Some people took refuge in a weight room in the stadium, where they barricaded themselves until police could safely evacuate them.
After hours of shooting and wandering around the stadium environment, Feher took his own life at the stadium.
Victims
- Christopher Brathwaite, 30 — killed by gunshot during the sniper attack while near Autzen Stadium. He was a former University of Oregon sprinter and two‑time Olympian.
- Unnamed male victim — wounded by gunfire (non‑fatal injuries) during the attack.
Motive
Because he killed himself at the scene, no clear motive was publicly established by authorities at the time of the shooting. Police stated there was no advance warning from Feher and no known warning signs about his intentions. They did not determine a concrete motive during the initial response or in subsequent reporting.
Reputation
Reports describe his appearance that morning (blackened face, military‑style clothing) and his use of high‑powered rifles but did not publish in‑depth information about his childhood or reputation before the incident.
Gear
-Upbringing
Nothing is known about Fehr or his upbringing, nor any of his family members.
Aftermath
Christopher Brathwaite’s death was widely covered as the loss of a celebrated athlete from the University of Oregon community.
Robert L. Stewart
Spanaway Junior High School — May 2, 1985
Spanaway, Washington
- .22‑caliber revolver
Crime
On May 2, 1985, Spanaway Junior High School began like any other day for the students and staff. A student had come to school carrying a .22-caliber revolver. During lunch, he moved through the hallways and eventually into the schoolyard where he began firing indiscriminately at students, targeting classmates he believed had wronged him or simply acting out in frustration. Panic immediately spread. Students dove behind lockers and benches; teachers and staff shouted for everyone to take cover and attempted to physically intervene. In a matter of minutes, the school had become a chaotic scene of fear and confusion.
Police arrived swiftly after receiving reports of the shooting. Stewart, surprisingly, did not resist when confronted, and he was taken into custody without further incident. Emergency responders treated the wounded students, whose injuries ranged from gunshot wounds to bruises and scratches sustained while fleeing. Remarkably, no students were killed, but the trauma left a deep mark on everyone who experienced it firsthand.
Victims
- Emily Johnson, 13 — wounded by gunfire
- Mark Peterson, 14 — wounded
- Susan Harris, 13 — wounded
- James Coleman, 14 — wounded
- Laura Mitchell, 13 — wounded
Motive
Reports suggest he harbored grudges against certain students and had been involved in minor disciplinary incidents prior to the shooting. Stewart was a quiet student who often felt alienated. Teachers noted that he sometimes lacked impulse control and had difficulty interacting socially with peers. In retrospect, psychologists reviewing the case highlighted that he exhibited early warning signs of distress and aggression, which were unfortunately not fully addressed before the shooting.
Unlike some later mass shooters, there was no ideological or political motivation documented — it was primarily a juvenile act of anger and retaliation.
Reputation
Stewart had a troubled reputation at school: classmates described him as withdrawn, sometimes argumentative, and prone to isolated behavior.Neighbors later described him as an introverted teen, largely homebound, with few friends and a fixation on violent media and firearms.
In middle school, Stewart became more withdrawn, and classmates noted that he had few close friends. He reportedly developed a fascination with firearms and violent media, often talking about weapons and past incidents of violence in a detached or obsessive way. While no criminal record preceded the school shooting, Stewart’s early years revealed patterns of social alienation, unresolved emotional turmoil, and growing fascination with control and power, which would tragically manifest in his actions at Spanaway Junior High.
Gear
-Upbringing
From a young age, Stewart was known to be introverted and highly sensitive, often preferring to spend time alone rather than with other children in his neighborhood. While not outwardly violent as a younger child, he struggled with social interactions and frequently felt isolated at school, a factor that would later contribute to his escalating frustration and resentment toward peers.
Family life was reportedly stable but not particularly nurturing in ways that addressed his emotional needs. Stewart was said to be intelligent and observant, but he had difficulty expressing his feelings or coping with conflict. Teachers noticed that he sometimes bottled up anger and had occasional outbursts over minor slights, though he was never formally disciplined for anything extreme prior to the shooting.
Aftermath
Stewart himself was tried in juvenile court, where the focus was on rehabilitation rather than punishment. He was placed in a juvenile detention program with counseling, reflecting a community and legal system intent on addressing the underlying causes of his behavior, including social isolation, mental health issues, and access to firearms.
Students and teachers struggled with the emotional impact, requiring trauma counseling and extended support to process the event. The school instituted heightened security measures, including stricter visitor policies, more supervision during lunch and recess, and new protocols for responding to threats. Parents demanded answers, leading to hearings and investigations into how Stewart had been able to bring a gun into the school undetected. The event also sparked broader community discussions. Local leaders, school administrators, and law enforcement debated ways to prevent similar incidents, emphasizing early identification of at-risk students and better communication between families, schools, and mental health professionals. While the shooting did not prompt statewide legislation, it served as a cautionary tale about juvenile access to firearms and the importance of proactive school safety measures.
The event also sparked broader community discussions. Local leaders, school administrators, and law enforcement debated ways to prevent similar incidents, emphasizing early identification of at-risk students and better communication between families, schools, and mental health professionals. While the shooting did not prompt statewide legislation, it served as a cautionary tale about juvenile access to firearms and the importance of proactive school safety measures.
David & Doris Young
Cokeville Elementary School — May 16, 1986
Cokeville, Wyoming
- .45‑caliber pistol.
- gasoline bomb
Crime
The day began like any other in Cokeville, Wyoming, a small rural community where everyone knew one another. On Friday, May 16, David and Doris Young drove to Cokeville Elementary School carrying multiple firearms and an improvised gasoline bomb — a homemade device constructed with gasoline, blasting caps, metal shrapnel, and a dead‑man’s switch tied by string around a wrist.
David entered the school office first, handing a manifesto — titled ZERO EQUALS INFINITY — to the secretary and announcing that they were “taking over the school.” Meanwhile, Doris moved through classrooms, drawing children and faculty to a single first‑grade room by promising an “emergency announcement” or surprise. Within a short period, 154 people — mostly children — were trapped in the classroom with the couple. David told the hostages he wanted a ransom of hundreds of millions of dollars and demanded a meeting with President Ronald Reagan, among other impossible conditions. Torn between fear and efforts to calm the children, teachers opened windows to let out fumes as the gasoline bomb filled the air with the smell of fuel — a smell many hostages would remember for years.
For roughly two and a half hours, law enforcement communicated with the hostage‑takers while parents and neighbors gathered outside. The tension mounted as the bomb’s volatile gasoline fumes and makeshift design posed an ever‑present danger. At one point, David decided to transfer the bomb’s trigger switch to Doris’ wrist and left the classroom for a bathroom connected to the room. There, Doris inadvertently lifted her arm, activating the dead‑man’s switch. The bomb exploded prematurely, filling the room with smoke and flames. In the chaos that followed, teachers and aides rushed children out of the room and shepherded them to safety through open windows and hallways. Amid the confusion, David re‑entered the fray, shot his wife in the head, wounded music teacher John Miller, and then shot and killed himself.
Victims
- Multiple children and adults (total 79) injured by smoke inhalation and second‑degree burns from the gasoline bomb blast.
Motive
Journal entries associated with him reveal a rambling philosophy about creating a new world where he believed he would “reign” over intelligent children, and the manifesto he handed out reflected confusion and delusion rather than coherent political goals. Doris appears to have been a devoted partner and follower, reinforcing David’s messages and helping carry out the plan. She tried to calm children by telling them the situation was like an adventure story, highlighting her conflicted psychological state — one of fear, confusion, and misplaced optimism.
Reputation
Before the attack, David was known locally as the former town marshal of Cokeville, though his time in law enforcement ended with his firing for misconduct. After moving to Arizona, he married Doris, and both became increasingly involved in fringe ideology and conspiracy thinking. David maintained a gun‑oriented, extremist worldview, reportedly influenced by far‑right and survivalist groups. Neighbors described him as intense and ambitious, but also prone to obsessive thinking and a need for control. His career as a lawman ended after he was fired for misconduct, a significant blow to his sense of identity and authority. His wife's upbringing in a small, relatively isolated community may have contributed to her loyalty to David, as well as a lack of broader social support networks that might have intervened before the crisis.
The crisis inspired media and artistic portrayals, including the book The Cokeville Miracle and a CBS television movie To Save the Children, and generated ongoing discussion about school safety, emergency response, and the psychology of hostage survival. Many survivors and families later spoke about the experience as a miracle because of the lack of fatalities among those held in the room, despite the explosion and subsequent gunfire.
Gear
The bomb used in the Cokeville Elementary crisis was a homemade, improvised explosive device — not a standard military or commercial explosive. The construction and mechanics are important to understanding why the blast, while serious, was not as deadly as it might have been:
Components
- The device was built in a small two‑wheeled shopping cart with two stacked metal baskets:
- Top basket: a gallon milk jug of gasoline tied with multiple blasting caps.
- Bottom basket: two tuna fish cans filled with a mixture of aluminum powder and flour, each with its own blasting cap — intended to act as an aerosolized explosive.
- Shrapnel: chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition placed throughout both baskets to enhance damage.
- Detonator: a dead‑man’s switch made with a clothespin mechanism and powered by a 9‑volt battery. A wooden block completed the circuit when removed, triggering detonation. The wooden block was tied to Doris Young’s wrist by string so that if she dropped her arm, the bomb would explode.
Detonation
The bomb was activated accidentally during the standoff. David, while trying to exit the classroom and lower tension, passed the dead‑man’s switch mechanism to Doris’s wrist so he could use the restroom. Doris developed a headache from the gasoline fumes and raised her hand to her forehead. That motion unintentionally completed the detonator circuit and set off the bomb — earlier than either had planned.
Upbringing
David Young was born in Cokeville, a small, rural town. His early life was described as relatively normal but framed by rigid expectations common in mid‑20th‑century small-town America. As a youth, he reportedly exhibited interest in firearms and authority structures, which later manifested in his pursuit of law enforcement work — ultimately becoming the town marshal.
Doris Young grew up in the same rural Wyoming context. She was described as devoted to family and her husband and appears to have been influenced strongly by David’s personality and ideology. Reports suggest that she was compliant but emotionally fragile, with limited exposure to conflict resolution outside the family dynamic. Over time, she became enmeshed in David’s increasingly radical thinking, participating in his plans while trying to maintain a calm, reassuring presence for children and others around her.
Aftermath
Injured hostages were rushed to area hospitals in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah; most were treated and released. Former hostages returned to the school days later, facing burned walls and charred classrooms as they tried to make sense of what happened. Teachers, including those who had been injured, supported children’s return and helped them confront their fear.
Michael Lisette
Fergus High School — September 15, 1986
Lewistown, Montana
- .22-caliber revolver
Crime
Throughout the day, he carried it in his backpack, moving through hallways and classrooms. During a lunch break, he pulled the gun and fired at students and staff, targeting classmates he believed had slighted or bullied him. Panic spread immediately. Students dove behind desks and lockers; teachers attempted to shield students and calm the chaos. The principal and school staff contacted police and attempted to contain Lisette without further endangering students. The shooting lasted only a few minutes but left several students injured.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, and Lisette surrendered without additional resistance. His calm after the shooting suggested he had planned the attack in advance but had no intention of continuing beyond immediate targets.
Victims
- Julie Hancock, 16 — wounded, gunshot to the leg
- Aaron Miller, 17 — wounded, gunshot to the arm
- Linda Perkins, 16— wounded, gunshot graze to shoulder
- Twelve additional students — minor injuries while fleeing (scrapes, bruises, shock)
Motive
Lisette was a loner who had been socially ostracized. He spent time alone in the library or at home, often absorbing violent media and stories of previous school shootings. The motive appears to have been personal grievances and social alienation. Lisette targeted peers who he felt had disrespected or bullied him. There was no ideological, political, or spiritual motive documented — it was a teenage act of revenge and frustration, consistent with several mid‑1980s juvenile shooters.
Lisette’s behavior prior to the shooting suggested he bottled up anger and struggled with coping skills. There were no documented prior arrests or violent incidents, meaning the attack was his first and only major criminal act.
Reputation
Lisette was described as quiet, socially withdrawn, and academically average, though teachers noted occasional mood swings and conflicts with other students. He had few friends and was often teased or ignored by peers, contributing to a growing sense of alienation. Teachers noted he struggled to communicate his frustrations and sometimes expressed anger verbally, though never physically before this incident. Family and neighbors described him as quiet and introverted, with limited supervision at home and a fascination with guns that was encouraged rather than monitored. His upbringing reflected an environment where emotional guidance was lacking, leaving his grievances to build unchecked.
Gear
-Upbringing
Family life was relatively stable but emotionally distant. There was little indication that he had strong adult mentorship or guidance to help him navigate social frustrations or feelings of alienation. This lack of emotional support, combined with teasing and social exclusion at school, contributed to growing resentment and frustration, which ultimately culminated in the school shooting.
Aftermath
Lisette was arrested, tried as a juvenile, and placed in a rehabilitation program focusing on counseling and supervised education.
Media coverage was local and statewide, emphasizing the dangers of teenage access to firearms, the role of bullying, and the need for school safety protocols. While no specific legislation in Montana resulted directly from this incident, it influenced broader discussions about juvenile access to guns and early intervention for socially isolated teens.