206 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.
⚠️ Warning: Viewer Discretion Advised ⚠️ The following section contains detailed information about mass murderers, their crimes, and case details. Some content may be disturbing or graphic, including descriptions of violence, criminal behavior, and sensitive subject matter.
Description
See any errors? Let us know!

Alan Winterbourne 1993 Rampage

Background

Alan Douglas Winterbourne was a 33-year-old computer engineer from Ventura, California, who had been unemployed since approximately 1986 and frustrated by repeated failure to find work. He endured a bitter seven-year job search, submitting around 2,000 applications and appeals before finally snapping on December 2, 1993. At 11:15 a.m. that day, he handed a manila envelope to an editor at the Ventura Star-Free Press containing job search documents, appeals, and letters. Thirty minutes later he began his deadly assault.

The Rampage Begins – Oxnard Employment Office

At roughly 11:41 a.m., Winterbourne entered the Employment Development Department office in Oxnard. Armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, he opened fire silently, randomly targeting staff behind the service counter. He killed three people and wounded several others. After the shotgun jammed, he drew a .44 Magnum revolver and continued firing before calmly exiting through a side door.

Chase and Police Officer Killed

Winterbourne fled in a vehicle, leading responding officers on a pursuit through lemon groves and farmland. Traffic congestion forced him to stop. Sgt. James Edward O’Brien, age 35, took cover behind his unmarked cruiser. Winterbourne exited his car with a rifle and shot O’Brien in the head, killing him instantly. The suspect then resumed his flight toward Ventura. ...Read More
Killer's Details

Winterbourne

Alan

12/2/1993

11:41 AM

4839

Market St

Oxnard

CA

Ventura County

93003

34.257935

-119.226564

State employment office

33

72

1

1

Yes

4 Firearms

NA

08/14/2025


Location: