On a summer day in June of 1994, the life of 8-year-old Christin F. McCarron, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short in a violent rampage at the Fairchild Air Force Base hospital in Washington. She was with her babysitters in the hospital's cafeteria when a former airman, 20-year-old Dean A. Mellberg, entered and began shooting indiscriminately.
Christin was one of four people fatally wounded by Mellberg before he was killed by a military police officer.
The devastating event was not a random act of violence in its inception. Mellberg, who had been discharged from the Air Force the previous month due to mental health issues, specifically targeted two individuals at the hospital: the psychiatrist and psychologist who had recommended his discharge. After killing them in the hospital annex, he continued his assault through the main hospital, firing at anyone he encountered.
The peaceful afternoon was shattered by the sound of gunfire, sending patients and staff scrambling for safety. In the midst of this chaos, Christin became an innocent victim of Mellberg's fury. The attack, which left an additional 22 people wounded, stands as the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Spokane County.
The perpetrator, Dean A. Mellberg, was the sole person responsible for the horrific events of that day. His rampage was brought to an end by the swift actions of Senior Airman Andrew P. Brown, who fatally shot Mellberg outside the hospital, preventing further loss of life. As Mellberg was killed at the scene, there were no subsequent arrests or suspects sought in connection with this tragedy. The investigation that followed focused on Mellberg's history of mental health problems and the circumstances leading to his discharge from the military.
