Lynwood Drake
Lynwood Drake | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lynwood Crumpler Drake III October 10, 1949 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 1992 (aged 43) San Miguel, California, U.S. |
Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| Other name | Jim Drake |
| Children | 1 |
| Motive | Revenge for personal disputes and gambling losses |
| Details | |
| Date | November 7/8, 1992 5 p.m. – 5 a.m. |
| Locations | Morro Bay, Paso Robles & San Miguel, California, United States |
| Killed | 7 (including himself) |
| Injured | 2 |
| Weapons | |
Lynwood Crumpler "Jim" Drake III (October 10, 1949[1] – November 8, 1992) was an American spree killer who killed six people and wounded one person in three locations across San Luis Obispo County, California, United States on November 7, 1992. Drake escaped the scene and killed himself following a hostage situation.[2]
Life
Drake, who was known as "Crazy Jim", had worked as a bartender, caterer and construction worker, but had also attended acting classes in New York, and had a minor role in the film The World According to Garp.[3] At the time of the shooting he was unemployed and lived off of disability benefits and his common-law wife's welfare. Despite this, he was known to gamble excessively.[4]
In June 1991 he was arrested for assaulting a day-care worker after his daughter had suffered a cut in a fall. He was sentenced to one year's probation and ordered to complete a mental health program for aggressive people, though there is no indication that he ever did so.[4]
In May 1992, Drake was evicted from his rental home in Morro Bay, California by his landlord, Andrew Zatko, for not paying his rent for several months. Shortly after, his wife separated from him, taking their daughter with her.[5] Drake had regularly made death threats against neighbors, stating his intention to kill "his enemies" in a murder-suicide. The last time he did so was one day before the shootings, but as he was regarded a "nut" nobody took his threats seriously.[4] According to investigators and acquaintances, Drake was a man who felt wronged by almost everyone he met.
Incident
Shootings
At about 5:00 p.m.,[4] Drake, carrying a .32 caliber revolver, entered the residence of 80-year-old Andrew Zatko and his 89-year-old live-in companion Gladys Walton in Morro Bay. The front door was unlocked, which was common in the town due to low crime rates. Zatko was in the process of making dinner in the kitchen, with Walton sitting at a nearby table, when Drake revealed himself and shot Zatko in the throat at point-blank range.[6] Drake afterwards went to the home of another of 37-year-old Norman Metcalfe, a former neighbor and tenant of Zatko, who had testified against him at the court proceeding for his eviction and had further helped Zatko by physically removing Drake from his property. At 6:24 p.m., when Metcalfe came home accompanied by two other men, Drake killed him with a shot between the eyes. He also killed 32-year-old Danny Cizek and wounded Jeffrey Sidlin, 27, in the arm, during a struggle over his gun.
About five hours later, Drake, having armed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun, drove to Oak's Card Parlor in Paso Robles, where he had lost several hundred dollars and had been barred for troublemaking and cheating. At the back of the club, Drake fatally shot card dealers David Law, 47, and Joe Garcia, 60, as well as customer Kris Staub, 31, who had attempted to flee through a door. An additional ten customers were left unharmed after they pleaded with Drake not to fire on them.[6]
Hostage situation and suicide
During the night, Drake traveled to San Miguel and broke into the home of 60-year-old Joanne Morrow, who was his former landlady. Drake took Morrow hostage, beating her with a blackjack and threatening to kill her. At approximately 5 a.m. on November 8, the house was surrounded by police. Drake killed himself with a gunshot to the head while talking with negotiators on the phone.[4][5][7][8][9][6]
Victims
- Andrew Zatko, 80
- Norman Metcalfe, 37
- Danny Cizek, 32
- David Law, 47
- Joe Garcia, 60
- Kris Staub, 30
Investigation
According to police, Drake had planned to kill two other people that day, his pastor and the day-care worker. He had reportedly not followed through on his intentions because of car troubles after the club shooting.[10]
A search of Drake's pants pockets found what was described as a "delusional suicide note [...] bemoaning his life of persecution".[6] Identifying himself as Jesse Cole Younger, apparently in allusion to the James–Younger Gang, Drake wrote, in regards to the shootings in Morro Bay, "I Jesse Cole Younger killed 3 men because they took my wife, family and daughter from me." He also blamed his parents and sister for his personal issues, ending his note with the words: "They refused to help. Damn the American family to hell. God forgive me."[7][10][11]
Author Marques Vickers wrote that the killings were ultimately "an insignificant footnote in local history".[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Announcements". Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. October 12, 1949. p. 5.
- ^ Gunman Kills 6 Then Himself in California, The New York Times (November 9, 1992)
- ^ Killer's pose, The Prescott Courier (November 12, 1992)
- ^ a b c d e Mass murderer was 'nut' who threatened to kill, The Union Democrat (November 10, 1992)
- ^ a b Gunman kills six, wounds one, before turning gun on self, The Nevada Daily Mail (November 10, 1992)
- ^ a b c d e Vickers, Marques (May 24, 2019). Murder in California: Rage and Revenge Murders. pp. 194–195.
- ^ a b Morro Bay changed forever by killings Archived 2011-11-06 at the Wayback Machine, The Fresno Bee (November 10, 1992)
- ^ Gunman kills 6, self during rampage in 2 California towns, Houston Chronicle (November 9, 1992)
- ^ Rampage ends with 7 deaths in Morro Bay, The Press-Courier (November 9, 1992)
- ^ a b Gunman who killed had often made threats, The Albany Herald (November 10, 1992)
- ^ Killer had threatened violence, The Spokesman-Review (November 10, 1992)
External links
- Gunman Kills 6, Himself in Rampage, Los Angeles Times (November 9, 1992)
- Killer of 6 Threatened Violence but Wasn't Believed, Police Say, Los Angeles Times (November 10, 1992)
- Man Who Gunned Down 6 Had Troubled Background, Los Angeles Times (November 11, 1992)
- A Story That Has No Moral, Los Angeles Times (November 15, 1992)
- GUNMAN LEAVES 6 DEAD BEFORE TAKING OWN LIFE WELL-PLANNED SPREE CUTS SWATH IN 3 TOWNS, San Jose Mercury News (November 9, 1992)
- Drake the Flake
- Mother charged in death of 3-year-old daughter / Relatives say father's '92 slaying traumatized her, San Francisco Chronicle (April 11, 2002)