Mass Murderer Lawrence Moore – Oregon Museum Tavern Shooting, May 7, 1981
Overview
On the evening of May 7, 1981, Lawrence William Moore, a 25-year-old unemployed mill worker from Scio, Oregon, carried out a mass shooting at the Oregon Museum Tavern in Salem, Oregon, targeting a "ladies' night" crowd. Entering the tavern at around 10:30 p.m. with a 9 mm Browning handgun, he opened fire on patrons with no warning. Moore emptied multiple magazines into the crowded venue before being subdued by bar customers with a pool cue and pinned until police arrived .
Fatalities and Victims
- Lori J. Cunningham, 22 – died at the scene; a paralegal for a local law firm .
- John W. Cooper, 27 – died at the scene; a partner in his family’s tool-grinding business and McNary High School graduate .
- Robert E. Hamblin, 24 – died at the scene; a self-employed auto-body painter and Silverton High School graduate .
- Allen L. Wilcox, 24 – died at the hospital after the shooting; worked at a local auto-parts store and was a McNary graduate .
- Dennis Scharf, 56 – initially wounded during the shooting and left paralyzed; died much later, on January 19, 2013, from complications related to his injuries sustained that night .
Injuries and Aftermath
Moore wounded a large number of people—reports vary slightly, but commonly note 18 to 20 injured. Three died on the spot, one died later that night in hospital, and Dennis Scharf survived for decades with paralysis before passing away in 2013 . The scene was described as chaotic and horrifying: “sprawled victims many with massive head, chest and leg injuries, bloody clothing, upturned furniture and broken glass…” .
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