| 101 California Street shootings | |
|---|---|
Gian Luigi Ferri |
|
| Location | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Date | July 1, 1993 2:57 p.m. |
| Attack type | Mass murder, Murder-suicide, Suicide attack |
| Weapon(s) | Two Intratec TEC-DC9 Colt M1911 pistol |
| Deaths | 9 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 6 |
| Perpetrator | Gian Luigi Ferri |
101 California Street Shootings is the name given to a mass shooting that took place July 1, 1993 in San Francisco, California, claiming the lives of nine people including the shooter. The killings sparked a number of legal and legislative actions that were precursors to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, H.R.3355, 103rd Congress (1994). The Act took effect in 1994, and expired on September 13, 2004, through the operation of a sunset provision.
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On July 1, 1993, 55-year-old businessman Gian Luigi Ferri (born December 29, 1937) entered an office building at 101 California Street in San Francisco, and made his way to the 34th floor and the offices of the law firm of Pettit and Martin. (Ferri, who had been a client of the firm at least ten years prior to the shootings, nursed a grudge against Pettit & Martin for many years.) Exiting the elevator on the 34th floor, Ferri donned a pair of ear protectors and began to open fire with a pair of TEC-9 handguns and a Chinese-manufactured copy of the Colt .45 or M1911 pistol. After roaming this floor he then moved down one floor through an internal staircase and continued shooting. The attack was continued on several floors before Ferri eventually shot himself fatally as San Francisco Police closed in. Eight people were killed in the attack, and six others injured.[1]
The reason for the shootings was never fully determined, but a letter left behind by Ferri claimed a long list of complaints.[2]
Killed:
Allen J. Berk, 52, was a partner in Pettit & Martin, and was well respected in the San Francisco legal community. He earned an undergraduate degree from City University in New York, and received his law degree from George Washington University. Berk was experienced in labor law, and had represented a number of management groups.
Jack Berman, 36, was a partner with the firm Bronson, Bronson, & McKinnon who was visiting the offices of Pettit & Martin on the day of the shootings. A president of the American Jewish Congress known for his work specializing in employment law and chairing the firm's pro bono committee, Berman was born in Moosup, Connecticut, in 1957 and graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in 1979 before completing his juris doctor from Boston University School of Law.
Berman's community work extended beyond the AJC, as he also co-founded TAX-AID[3], an organization that provides free income tax preparation, and the San Francisco Transitional Housing Fund, a program to aid homeless individuals in finding housing. In recognition of Berman's service to the legal profession and the Bay Area populace, the California Young Lawyers' Association gives an annual award in Berman's name.[4]
Donald Merrill, 48, was an employee of the Trust Company of the West, which had offices at 101 California Street. He had worked as an energy industry consultant, working with independent energy projects
Shirley Mooser, 64, was a secretary at the Trust Company of the West, which had offices at 101 California Street.
Deborah Fogel, 33, was a legal secretary for the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, which had offices at 101 California Street.
Jody Jones Sposato, 30, was a young mother and a client of Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon. She accompanied Jack Berman to Pettit & Martin for deposition the day of the shootings.
David Sutcliffe, 30, was a law student at the University of Colorado at Boulder who was interning at Pettit & Martin for the summer.
John Scully, 28, was a lawyer with Pettit & Martin who died, according to news reports, while protecting his wife from the gunman. Interested in labor law, Scully earned his bachelors degree from Gonzaga University, then received his law degree at the University of San Francisco.
Injured:
Vicky Smith, 41;
Sharon Jones O'Roke, 35, was in-house counsel at Electronic Data Systems Corporation in Dallas, Texas, and was borrowing one of the firm's conference rooms to take the deposition of Jody Jones Sposato. O'Roke was the first one shot during the attack. Both Sposato and her attorney, Jack Berman, were killed. Deanna Eaves, one of the injured, was a court reporter taking down the testimony of Ms. Sposato.
Michelle Scully, 27;
Brian F. Berger, 39;
Deanna Eaves, 33;
Charles Ross, 42.
The shootings spurred calls for tighter gun control and were followed by a number of legal and legislative actions.
California, at the state level, implemented some of the toughest gun laws in the United States.[5] The state also repealed a law that had given gun manufacturers immunity against lawsuits, following an attempt by some relatives of 101 California street victims to sue the companies that made the weapons Ferri used.
A number of organizations were formed in the wake of the shootings, including Legal Community Against Violence[6], which acts as a resource for information on federal, state, and local firearms policies. The AJC founded the Jack Berman Advocacy Center[7] to lobby and organize with regard to gun control and violence reduction.
