Edward Allaway

Mass Murderer

Edward Allaway and the 1976 California State University, Fullerton Massacre

Background

Edward Charles Allaway was a 37-year-old custodian employed at California State University, Fullerton, when he committed one of the deadliest acts of mass murder in Orange County history. On the morning of July 12, 1976, Allaway entered the university's library building carrying a .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle. Within approximately five minutes, he shot nine people, killing seven and seriously wounding two others. Allaway had worked as a custodian in the university library and was familiar with the building, its employees and the areas where staff members gathered before the library opened. His attack occurred shortly before 7:00 a.m., when relatively few students were present but several employees had already reported for work. Most of the violence took place in the Instructional Media Center in the library's basement, although additional victims were shot near the first-floor lobby.

Mental Deterioration and Delusions

In the period before the massacre, Allaway's behavior had become increasingly unstable. He had a history of mental illness, previous psychiatric treatment and at least one suicide attempt. He had also reportedly displayed violent behavior in his personal life and at an earlier workplace. Allaway became consumed by paranoid beliefs involving his estranged wife and his coworkers. He believed that men employed in the university library were involved in producing pornographic films and that his wife had been forced or persuaded to appear in them. Investigators found no evidence that his wife had participated in such films. Nevertheless, the delusion became central to Allaway's thinking and contributed to his hostility toward people at the library. His marriage had deteriorated badly by the summer of 1976. Allaway and his wife separated during Memorial Day weekend, and she filed for divorce shortly before the shooting. His wife worked at the Hilton Inn in Anaheim, a location that would become important immediately after the massacre.

The Morning of July 12, 1976

Allaway arrived at the California State University, Fullerton campus early on Monday, July 12, 1976. He was armed with a .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle that he had recently purchased from a Kmart store in Buena Park. Because he was an employee, his presence inside the library building did not initially appear unusual. The shooting began in or near the basement Instructional Media Center. Witnesses heard a rapid series of sharp popping sounds. Some initially mistook the noise for equipment malfunctioning or construction work. The confusion gave Allaway time to move through the workplace before people fully understood that a gunman was firing inside the building. Allaway encountered several employees in the basement and opened fire. He reportedly pursued some of his victims as they attempted to escape. The violence was not confined to one room. He moved through corridors, work areas and the lobby, firing repeatedly at people he encountered. Bruce Jacobson attempted to resist the gunman by confronting him with a metal statue. Allaway shot Jacobson during the struggle. Other victims were attacked while working, walking through the building or trying to flee. Deborah Paulsen and Donald Karges were reportedly chased before they were fatally shot. Allaway later used a service elevator to move to another level of the library. Near the first-floor lobby, he continued firing. He shot Frank Teplansky and Stephen Becker while moving through the building. A visiting high school student was encountered but was not shot. The massacre ended after Allaway exhausted the ammunition available in his rifle. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Paul F. Herzberg 30 yr old Male

40 years since a 5-minute shooting spree caused a lifetime of ...