Joseph White

Mass Murderer

Joseph White and the 1970 Albany State Office Massacre

Overview

On September 23, 1970, Joseph C. White carried out a deadly workplace shooting inside the New York State Department of Labor offices in Albany, New York. White, a 25-year-old senior analyst employed by the department, fatally shot four young female co-workers before taking his own life. The attack occurred in Building 12 of the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus, a large government complex where hundreds of state employees were working that Wednesday morning. The killings were especially shocking because White had reportedly been regarded by people who knew him as quiet and gentle. There was no public confrontation, prolonged dispute or clear warning immediately preceding the violence. Contemporary accounts described his motive as a mystery, leaving the victims' families, surviving employees and investigators without a satisfactory explanation for why an ordinary workday suddenly became the scene of a mass murder.

Joseph White's Return to Work

White had reportedly been away from his position on sick leave for approximately six weeks. On the morning of September 23, he returned to his desk in Room 545 of the Labor Department building. He arrived carrying a box wrapped in brightly colored Christmas paper and decorated with a large red bow, an unusual sight in September but apparently not one that immediately caused alarm. For roughly half an hour, White appeared to follow an ordinary office routine. Reports indicated that he worked on records connected with absentee recruitment before the shooting began. Nothing about those first minutes reportedly suggested to his colleagues that he was about to commit an act of extraordinary violence. The contrast between the harmless-looking package, his quiet behavior and the attack that followed made the crime particularly disturbing.

The Shooting Inside Room 545

At some point during the morning, White produced a firearm and began shooting women working in and around the office. The attack unfolded quickly in the enclosed workplace, leaving employees little opportunity to understand what was happening or escape. Three of the victims were reportedly shot within the main office area. Contemporary photographs showed desks, chairs and office equipment surrounding the places where the women fell. Two victims were shot near the front and rear of a desk located near the center of the room. Another woman was killed inside a smaller adjoining office. The fourth victim was also fatally shot within the Labor Department workplace. The arrangement of the victims indicated that White fired in more than one part of the office rather than directing a single shot at one person during an isolated disagreement. White killed Linda D. Willis, Mary Ann Reinisch, Patricia Chromik and Sandra L. Peters. All four women were between 21 and 27 years old. They had reported to the state office building to perform their regular duties and were attacked by a colleague in a setting that should have been secure. Available reports do not establish that any of the women were armed or had threatened White. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Sandra L Peters 24 yr old Female

State Employe Kills 4 Co‐Workers and Himself in Albany Office