On a spring evening in Salem, Oregon, the lives of many were irrevocably altered. Inside the Oregon Museum Tavern on May 7, 1981, Dennis Scharf, a 56-year-old Caucasian male, was among the patrons when a gunman shattered the ordinary Thursday night. The sudden eruption of violence left Scharf with devastating injuries that would forever change the course of his life.
While he survived the initial onslaught, the shooting left him a quadriplegic, beginning a long and arduous journey of survival.
The perpetrator was quickly identified as Lawrence William Moore, a 25-year-old unemployed mill worker. On that evening, Moore entered the crowded tavern during its "Ladies' night" and, without uttering a word, began firing a 9mm Browning handgun. He first targeted the bar before turning his weapon on the fleeing patrons. As he paused to reload, several patrons managed to overpower and subdue him, holding him until law enforcement arrived. Moore's attack resulted in the immediate deaths of three individuals and fatally wounded another who died at the hospital.
Dennis Scharf lived for more than three decades after the shooting, his life a constant battle against the severe injuries he sustained. His perseverance in the face of such profound adversity was a testament to his strength. Ultimately, the complications from the wounds he received that night in 1981 led to his death on January 19, 2013, making him the final victim of the Oregon Museum Tavern shooting.
Lawrence William Moore was put on trial in October of 1981. He admitted to being the gunman but pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect. He claimed he was attempting to apprehend members of a "syndicate" of millionaires, Jews, and criminals who he believed were trying to poison him. The jury found him guilty of four counts of aggravated murder, and he was sentenced to four life terms in prison.
