On what began as an ordinary Valentine's Day in 1977, a tragic and violent event unfolded in New Rochelle, New York, claiming the life of 55-year-old Frederick Holmes. Holmes, a Black man, was an employee at the Neptune Worldwide Moving Company, the site of a horrific mass shooting perpetrated by a disgruntled former coworker. The gunman, 33-year-old Frederick Cowan, arrived at the moving company that morning heavily armed and filled with a vengeful rage. His primary target was his Jewish supervisor, Norman Bing, who had recently suspended him for being rude to customers. Cowan, a known admirer of Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology, had a history of racist and antisemitic behavior.
Cowan, dressed in a military-style jacket and armed with a semi-automatic rifle and several handguns, began his assault shortly before 8 a.m. Upon entering the building, he immediately opened fire on the first people he encountered. Frederick Holmes and another Black employee, Joseph Hicks, were among the first to be shot and killed at point-blank range as they were talking in a hallway. The attack quickly escalated into a prolonged siege as Cowan continued his rampage, killing three other people, including another Black coworker, James Green, an Indian immigrant named Pariyarathu Varghese, and a police officer, Allan McLeod, who was one of the first to respond to the scene. Several other employees and police officers were also wounded during the chaotic ordeal.
For hours, Cowan held law enforcement at bay, firing at officers from a second-floor window and creating a tense standoff that drew a massive police presence. He engaged in brief and bizarre communications with the police, at one point requesting potato salad and cocoa. The siege finally came to an end in the late afternoon when Cowan took his own life with one of his handguns. A subsequent search of his home revealed a disturbing collection of Nazi memorabilia, firearms, and ammunition, further underscoring the deep-seated hatred that fueled his violent actions. The tragic event left the community of New Rochelle in shock and mourning for the innocent lives lost, including that of Frederick Holmes, a man who went to work one morning and became a victim of a hateful and vengeful act.
