California State University, Fullerton Library Massacre

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On July 12, 1976 Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian at the Cal State Fullerton library, shot nine people in the basement and first floor of the library with a .22 rifle. Seven of these died.

The shootings occurred shortly before 9:00 am, when the library was scheduled to open for students. The victims were fellow employees of the library.

Allaway fled the building after the shooting to a nearby hotel where his wife worked. He called police and confessed to the shootings. Police picked him up and found the .22 rifle in the back of his car.

He was later found guilty of six counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder. However, a second phase of the trial determined that he was not sane. Five different professionals diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. He had a history of mental illness. He was committed to the State mental hospital system, where he remains.

Allaway's motive was that he thought pornographers were forcing his wife to appear in movies. His wife filed for divorce just before the shooting. The defense established that commercial pornographic movies were being shown by library staff members before opening and in break rooms, but Allaway's wife was not in them.