Eduardo Sencion

Mass Murderer

Eduardo Sencion and the 2011 Carson City IHOP Massacre

Background

Eduardo Sencion was a 32-year-old man responsible for a deadly mass shooting at an International House of Pancakes restaurant in Carson City, Nevada, on September 6, 2011. Sencion, who was also known as Eduardo Perez-Gonzalez, killed four people and wounded seven others before fatally shooting himself. Three of those killed were members of the Nevada National Guard who had gathered for breakfast at the restaurant. Sencion was born in Mexico on July 22, 1979, and later lived in the Lake Tahoe area. He worked at a family-owned business in South Lake Tahoe, California, and had no significant criminal record before the attack. He had reportedly experienced serious psychiatric problems for many years and had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a young adult. Investigators later found no measurable level of prescribed antipsychotic medication in his body at the time of the shooting. Although Sencion's mental-health history was examined extensively, investigators never established a definitive motive. Authorities found no evidence that he had a personal dispute with anyone inside the restaurant, no known connection to the Nevada National Guard, and no indication that the shooting was part of a terrorist plot. The reason he selected the IHOP and attacked the people inside remains unknown.

Arrival at the Carson City IHOP

Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, Sencion drove a blue minivan into the parking lot of a shopping center on South Carson Street in Carson City. The vehicle was registered to one of his brothers. Inside the van were several firearms and a large quantity of ammunition. At approximately 8:56 a.m., Sencion parked near the IHOP restaurant at 3883 South Carson Street. He emerged carrying a modified Norinco MAK-90 rifle. The weapon was based on the AK-pattern rifle design and had been illegally altered to fire automatically. Witnesses initially heard a rapid burst of gunfire in the parking lot as Sencion fired numerous rounds into the air. The sudden gunfire caused people in nearby businesses and vehicles to take cover. Sencion reloaded and walked toward the restaurant while continuing to carry the rifle. Only seconds had passed between his arrival and the beginning of the attack inside the crowded breakfast establishment.

The Shooting Inside the Restaurant

At approximately 8:57 a.m., Sencion entered the IHOP and walked toward the dining area. He first opened fire on an older couple seated at a table. Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67, was killed, and her husband was wounded. Sencion then directed his gunfire toward a nearby booth occupied by five uniformed members of the Nevada National Guard. The Guard personnel were federal employees assigned to the Nevada National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters and were having breakfast together. Their uniforms made them especially visible inside the restaurant, although investigators found no evidence that Sencion had known they would be present. All five Guard members were struck by gunfire. Major Heath Kelly, Sergeant First Class Christian Riege, and Sergeant First Class Miranda McElhiney were fatally wounded. Two additional Guard members survived after being injured. Investigators could not determine with certainty whether Sencion had entered the restaurant specifically intending to attack military personnel or had focused on them after seeing their uniforms. Sencion continued firing toward other booths and tables, wounding additional customers. The rapid attack caused panic as survivors hid beneath tables, sought shelter behind restaurant fixtures, or attempted to escape. One seriously wounded survivor later required the amputation of a leg. The shooting inside the restaurant lasted only a matter of seconds. Sencion left the building at approximately 8:58 a.m. and returned to the parking lot. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Florence Donovan-Gunderson 67 yr old Female

Carson City IHOP shooting - Wikipedia