On the evening of May 7, 1981, Lori J. Cunningham, a 22-year-old female paralegal, was at the Oregon Museum Tavern in Salem, Oregon. It was a ladies' night at the tavern on Front Street NE, and the establishment was crowded with patrons. The night took a horrific turn at approximately 10:30 p.m. when a man entered the tavern and, without a word, began shooting a 9mm Browning handgun.
The gunman, later identified as 25-year-old unemployed mill worker Lawrence William Moore, first fired at
the bar and then turned his weapon on the fleeing patrons, reloading his weapon as he went. In the ensuing chaos, Lori J. Cunningham was fatally wounded and died at the scene. She was one of several victims of the senseless attack that night. Two other men, John W. Cooper and Robert E. Hamblin, also died in the tavern. Another victim, Allen L. Wilcox, succumbed to his injuries later that night at a hospital. The shooting spree was halted when a brave patron struck Moore with a pool cue, allowing other patrons to overpower and pin him to the ground until police arrived.
Lawrence William Moore was arrested at the scene. His trial began on October 6, 1981. During the proceedings, Moore admitted to being the gunman but pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect. He offered a bizarre explanation for his actions, claiming he was attempting to apprehend members of a "syndicate" of millionaires, Jews, and criminals who he believed were trying to poison him. Despite his defense, the jury found Moore guilty of four counts of aggravated murder. He was subsequently sentenced to four life terms in prison and remains incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
