Today Marks 26 Years Since the Luby’s Massacre of 1991
The Las Vegas Shooting at the beginning of the month hit close to home all over the country, but especially here in Central Texas as October marks the annual reminder of the Luby's Massacre that took place in Killeen back in 1991.
It was October 16th, 1991 when Georges Hennard drove through the front window of Luby's restaurant and opened fire on the lunchtime crowd inside. In a matter of minutes, Hennard unloaded his semi-automatic pistols and shot 50 people. 22 people lost their lives.
After police wounded Hennard, he then shot himself and died at the scene. Authorities learned that Hennard had two fully loaded clips in his possession, meaning he could have kept shooting for much longer had the police not injured him.
The Luby's shooting remained the deadliest shooting by an individual in the United States for many years until the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016. The recent mass shooting in Las Vegas is now considered the nation's deadliest mass shooting.
A pink granite monument listing the names of the victims of the Luby's shooting rests behind the Killeen Community Center.