On a tragic evening in Salem, Oregon, the life of 27-year-old John W. Cooper was cut short. It was May 7, 1981, during a ladies' night event at the Oregon Museum Tavern on Front Street NE, when the popular gathering spot turned into a scene of unimaginable violence. Cooper, a partner in his family's tool grinding business and a graduate of McNary High School, was among the patrons at the crowded tavern when the night took a horrifying turn.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., a man named
Lawrence William Moore, a 25-year-old unemployed mill worker from Scio, entered the establishment. Without a word, he opened fire with a 9mm Browning handgun, first shooting at the bar and then indiscriminately at the fleeing patrons. In the midst of the chaos and terror, John W. Cooper was fatally wounded, becoming one of three victims who died at the scene. Two other individuals, Lori J. Cunningham, 22, and Robert E. Hamblin, 24, also lost their lives in the initial moments of the attack. A fourth victim, Allen L. Wilcox, 24, succumbed to his injuries later that night at a hospital.
As Moore paused to reload his weapon, a brave patron struck him with a pool cue, and several others rushed in to overpower him. They managed to pin him to the ground and hold him until police arrived. Lawrence William Moore was immediately arrested and taken into custody.
Moore was subsequently charged with multiple counts of murder. His trial began on October 6, 1981, where he pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect. He admitted to being the gunman but offered a bizarre and rambling motive, claiming he was targeting a "syndicate" of millionaires, Jews, and criminals he believed were trying to poison him. Despite his defense, the jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to four life terms in prison. Moore remains incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The senseless act of violence that claimed the life of John Cooper and others left a lasting scar on the Salem community.
