Johnson Space Center shooting
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The Johnson Space Center shooting was a hostage situation and shooting incident that occurred on April 20, 2007, the eighth anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre and in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, in Building 44, the Communication and Tracking Development Laboratory, at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. The gunman killed one person, injured another, and took a hostage for over three hours until finally committing suicide.[1][2]
The gunman William Phillips was an employee of Jacobs Engineering in Pasadena, California. He was long considered an "office hothead" by co-workers and did not work in Building 44.[1]
[edit] Timeline
The situation began at 1:00 p.m. (UTC-5) when gunman William Phillips entered a conference room, pointed a .38 or .357-caliber snub-nosed revolver[1] at one person, and ordered everybody else to leave.[3]
At approximately 1:40 p.m., two gunshots were heard. One bullet probably killed David Beverly, with a shot to the chest. The other probably injured the unidentified victim. Phillips then took Fran Crenshaw, who happened to be in the area, hostage and bound her to a chair with duct tape. Phillips barricaded himself and Crenshaw inside the second floor of Building 44 for the next three hours.[1] During this, Crenshaw attempted to calm Phillips, with whom she had a positive relationship. Later, Crenshaw was able to wiggle out of the tape and alert authorities about what was happening.[2]
Meanwhile, SWAT teams surrounded the building.[1] Building 44 as well as four other nearby buildings[citation needed] were evacuated and NASA employees in other buildings were ordered to remain inside their buildings, but were later told they were free to go at the end of the workday.[4][2] A nearby school, Space Center Intermediate School, was placed on lockdown temporarily.[2] NASA employees were allowed to go home with some reports of employees having to travel on foot due to their vehicles being blocked by police and emergency units.[citation needed]
The incident ended at 5:00 p.m. as the SWAT teams attempted to communicate with Phillips when the gunman committed suicide with a single shot to the head.[1][2]
Crenshaw was taken to St. John Hospital by ambulance and then released for questioning by the Houston Police Department. She was physically unharmed and walked under her own power out of the hospital.[3]
[edit] Building 44
Aerial photo showing location of Building 44
According to the JSC website, Building 44 is a communications and engineering office building with two stories. The building contains office space and a few labs to support tracking of spacecraft.
[edit] Perpetrator
The gunman was identified as William Phillips. He was 60 years old[4] and unmarried. He had no children and lived alone. Phillips was an employee of Jacobs Engineering, and had worked for NASA for 12 to 13 years.[1] Michael Coats, director of the JSC, said Phillips was, "until recently, a good employee."[4] Phillips knew at least two of the three victims, David Beverly and Fran Crenshaw. Police said there was "some kind of dispute" between Beverly and Phillips, possibly related to a pending dismissal.[2][1]
[edit] Victims
One person was killed with a shot to the chest, and he was identified as David Beverly. He was a NASA employee.[2]
Another person was injured and he remains unidentified by police.[2]
The hostage, Fran Crenshaw, is a contract worker with MRI Technologies. During the incident, she attempted to calm Phillips and eventually escaped her bonds.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Monica Rhor. Gunman kills hostage, self at NASA center. MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gunman knew engineer he killed at NASA, police say. CNN. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b Michelle Homer. JSC gunman was NASA engineer. KHOU-TV. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b c Gunman Kills Hostage, Himself at Johnson Space Center in Houston. FOXNews.com.
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