Michael Vernon

Mass Murderer

Michael Vernon and the 1995 Little Chester Shoes Massacre

Overview

On December 19, 1995, 22-year-old Michael Vernon carried out a mass shooting inside Little Chester Shoes, a small footwear store at 2186 White Plains Road in the Bronx, New York. The attack occurred shortly before noon near the Bronx Zoo and left five people dead and three others critically wounded. Among those killed were a mother and her two young sons, the wife of the store's owner, and another customer. The violence began during what authorities described as an armed robbery. Vernon entered the store carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol and initially behaved like an ordinary customer. Within minutes, however, he announced a holdup and began shooting the people around him. The victims had little opportunity to escape the confined store as Vernon repeatedly fired at customers and employees.

The Shooting at Little Chester Shoes

At approximately 11:50 a.m. on December 19, Vernon entered Little Chester Shoes and asked employees about a pair of sneakers. Accounts of the incident indicated that he requested either a size 13½ shoe or a particular style of Nike sneaker. When the store could not provide what he wanted, his behavior became increasingly hostile. Vernon then displayed his handgun, announced that the store was being robbed, and opened fire. Witnesses reported hearing him complain that the store should have given him the sneakers before he began shooting. His statement and actions suggested that anger over the shoes became intertwined with the robbery, although the full motive for the extreme violence was never considered rational or proportionate to what had occurred. Maria Carrasquillo, a 38-year-old Bronx mother, was inside the store shopping with her two sons, 13-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez and 12-year-old Rafael Gonzalez. Vernon shot and killed all three members of the family. The children were among the youngest victims of the massacre and had simply accompanied their mother on a shopping trip shortly before Christmas. Kwong Bae, the 41-year-old wife of the store's owner, was also fatally shot. Her name appeared in some early reports under alternate spellings, including Kyong Bae. Henry W. Lucero Inga, a 25-year-old man from Larchmont, New York, was the fifth person killed during the attack. Three additional people suffered critical gunshot wounds. The injured survivors were transported for emergency medical treatment while police officers and paramedics responded to the chaotic scene. The store's interior became a confined crime scene filled with wounded victims, spent cartridge casings, merchandise, and evidence of the rapid eruption of violence.

Victims

• Maria Carrasquillo, 38 - Killed on December 19, 1995, inside Little Chester Shoes at 2186 White Plains Road in the Bronx, New York. She was shopping with her two sons when the shooting began.
• Ricardo Gonzalez, 13 - Killed on December 19, 1995, inside the Bronx shoe store. He was Maria Carrasquillo's son and the older brother of Rafael Gonzalez.
• Rafael Gonzalez, 12 - Killed on December 19, 1995, inside Little Chester Shoes. He was Maria Carrasquillo's younger son.
• Kwong Bae, 41 - Killed on December 19, 1995, at Little Chester Shoes in the Bronx. Her name was also reported as Kyong Bae in some accounts. She was the wife of the store's owner.
• Henry W. Lucero Inga, 25 - A resident of Larchmont, New York, who was killed during the December 19, 1995, shooting.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Kwong Bae 41 yr old Female

Man Convicted of Murder In 5 Killings in Shoe Store - The New York ...