On the evening of May 7, 1981, the Oregon Museum Tavern in Salem, Oregon, was filled with the sounds of its regular "ladies' night." Among the patrons was Lori J. Cunningham, a 22-year-old female paralegal. The lively atmosphere was shattered at approximately 10:30 p.m. when a man entered the establishment and, without a word, began shooting a 9mm Browning handgun.
The gunman was later identified as Lawrence William Moore, a 25-year-old unemployed mill worker.
Moore first opened fire at the bar and then turned his weapon on the crowd of patrons as they tried to flee. In the ensuing chaos, Lori J. Cunningham was fatally wounded and died at the scene. She was one of three victims who lost their lives inside the tavern that night. Two other individuals would later succumb to their injuries, one later that night and another years later, bringing the total number of fatalities to five, with an additional 18 people wounded.
As Moore paused to reload, a courageous patron struck him with a pool cue, and several others managed to overpower and pin him to the ground until police arrived. Lawrence William Moore was arrested at the scene. During his trial, which began on October 6, 1981, he pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect. He admitted to the shootings but claimed he was attempting to apprehend members of a "syndicate" of millionaires, Jews, and criminals he believed were trying to poison him.
Moore was ultimately found guilty of four counts of aggravated murder and received four life sentences. He has remained incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The tragic event left a lasting scar on the Salem community and is remembered as one of the state's deadliest mass shootings. A memorial wall at Oregon City's Mountain View Cemetery includes Lori J. Cunningham's name, honoring the lives lost on that devastating night.
