Stockton Schoolyard Shooting by Patrick Edward Purdy — January 17, 1989
Overview
Patrick Edward Purdy, a 24-year-old drifter, returned to Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California—the school he had once attended—and carried out a mass shooting on January 17, 1989. He parked a vehicle behind the school and set it ablaze with a Molotov cocktail, causing an explosion. He then entered the playground carrying a semi-automatic Norinco Type 56 rifle (AK-47 variant) and fired indiscriminately at children and a teacher. He discharged over 100 rounds in about three minutes before turning a pistol on himself and dying by suicide.
Timeline and Details
- At approximately 11:40 a.m., Purdy arrived at Cleveland Elementary, parked his station wagon behind the school, and shortly thereafter ignited it with a Molotov cocktail, causing an explosion.
- Around 11:41 a.m., he began firing on the playground, where roughly 300 children were at recess.
- He sprayed the area with bullets in a sweeping motion, shooting more than 100 rounds (often reported as 105 or 106 rounds) in about three minutes.
- After the shooting, he fatally shot himself with a 9 mm pistol.
Victims
- Rathanar Or, 9 years old — killed
- Ram Chun, 6 years old — killed
- Sokhim An, 6 years old — killed
- Oeun Lim, 8 years old — killed
- Thuy Tran, 6 years old — killed
- Approximately 30 other students — wounded
- One second-grade teacher (Janet Geng) — wounded
All five children were of Southeast Asian refugee families (four Cambodian, one Vietnamese).
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