On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman, a 25-year-old former Marine and student at the University of Texas, climbed to the observation deck of the university’s 28-story tower, heavily armed with rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a large supply of ammunition, and began indiscriminately shooting at people.
Smoke rises from the Charles Whitman’s gun as he fires from the tower of the University of Texas administration building in Austin, Texas, on crowds below. (AP)The arsenal of guns used by Charles Whitman. (AP)
Prior to the attack, Whitman murdered both his mother and wife. In a suicide note found later, Whitman claimed he killed them to spare them from suffering and to save them the embarrassment of his actions.
Ambulance attendants remove the body of Kathleen Whitman, the wife of Charles Whitman. (AP)
Over the course of 96 minutes, Whitman killed 15 people (including an unborn child) and wounded 31 others.
Ambulance attendants and other workers place one of the sniper’s victims in a waiting ambulance during the shooting spree. (AP)An Austin policeman fires from a nearby building toward the University of Texas administration tower. (AP)
The attack came to an end when Austin police officers Houston McCoy and Ramiro Martinez confronted and shot Whitman dead on the tower’s observation deck.
The body of Charles Whitman after being shot by police.The body of Charles Whitman in morgue.
In his suicide note, Whitman requested that an autopsy be performed after his death to determine if a biological issue might explain his actions and the severe, recurring headaches he had been experiencing.
An Austin policeman is carried to a waiting ambulance after being critically wounded by Charles Whitman. (AP)
Whitman had reportedly sought medical help for his mental health issues in the months leading up to the attack.
One of the victims of Charles Whitman is carried across the campus to a waiting ambulance. (AP)
He expressed concerns about his own behavior and had been prescribed psychoactive drugs.
Workmen use wire brushes to remove bloodstains from the concrete in front of the University of Texas tower. There were no classes at the university and the campus was almost deserted following Charles Whitman’s shooting spree. (AP)
Dr. Coleman de Chenar, a neuropathologist at Austin State Hospital who performed Whitman’s autopsy discovered the shooter had a pecan-sized brain tumor, which some experts speculated may have influenced his actions, though the findings remain inconclusive.
Behind the Tape Photobook features 20 GRAPHIC photos of Charles Whitman’s reign of terror, as well as over a thousand more hand-picked crime scene photos.
Filled with exclusive case file information and never-before-heard facts, the Photobook is the ULTIMATE treat for every true crime junkie!
Get the book as part of one of our bundles while stocks last!
