In the late summer of 1949, the city of Camden, New Jersey, was irrevocably marked by a tragedy that would claim the life of 63-year-old Minnie Cohen. On the morning of September 6th, a sequence of events unfolded that would leave a lasting scar on the community and the nation, as it is considered one of the country's first mass shootings.
The day began with a simmering rage in the heart of Howard Barton Unruh, a 28-year-old World War II veteran.
His anger was directed at his neighbors, with whom he had a history of disputes. Unruh believed they spoke ill of him and had recently damaged a gate he had built. This seemingly minor conflict proved to be the tipping point. After a confrontation with his own mother, Unruh armed himself with a pistol and began a deadly walk through his Cramer Hill neighborhood.
His path of violence led him to the pharmacy owned by Minnie Cohen's son, Maurice. Inside, the lives of Minnie, her son, and his wife Rose were tragically cut short. Their 13-year-old son, Charles, managed to survive by hiding in a closet as the horror unfolded around him. Before reaching the Cohen's pharmacy, Unruh had already killed a shoemaker and a barber. In a mere 12 minutes, thirteen people would lose their lives at his hands.
The 'Walk of Death,' as it came to be known, ended with Unruh's arrest. He was subsequently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Deemed unfit to stand trial for his actions, Howard Unruh was committed to the New Jersey Hospital for the Insane. He remained there until his death in 2009, never facing a jury for the lives he had taken that September day.
