Harvey Glenn Mcleod

Mass Murderer

Harvey Glenn McLeod and the 1972 North Hills Mall Shooting

Overview

On Memorial Day, May 29, 1972, Harvey Glenn McLeod carried out a sudden and apparently indiscriminate shooting outside North Hills Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina. McLeod, a 22-year-old Raleigh resident, positioned himself between parked automobiles near the shopping center's main entrance and opened fire with a .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle. Four victims ultimately died, seven others survived gunshot wounds, and McLeod killed himself before police could arrest him. The attack occurred shortly after noon, when the mall and its surrounding parking areas were crowded with holiday shoppers. Several people were gathered near the entrance for an appearance by United States Senator B. Everett Jordan, who was campaigning for reelection. Jordan was initially suspected of being McLeod's intended target, particularly because members of the senator's campaign party were among those struck. Investigators, however, found no evidence that McLeod had targeted the senator or that the shooting was politically motivated.

McLeod's Background and Activities Before the Shooting

Harvey Glenn McLeod was born on December 29, 1949, and lived with his wife on Curtis Drive in Raleigh. He was approximately six feet five inches tall and had recently obtained work as a janitor at Needham B. Broughton High School. Accounts published after the shooting described a troubled young man who had experienced employment difficulties and previous contact with law enforcement. Two days before the massacre, on Saturday, May 27, 1972, McLeod was arrested after allegedly making a false report to police. He claimed that armed men had robbed him and taken his automobile, but investigators concluded that his story was untrue. The precise importance of that incident to his later actions remains unknown. On the morning of May 29, McLeod purchased the .22-caliber rifle he would use in the attack. There was no known confrontation at the mall immediately before the shooting, and surviving evidence does not establish that he knew the people he attacked. His victims represented a cross-section of ordinary shoppers, employees, motorists and political campaign workers who happened to be near the entrance when he began firing.

The Shooting at North Hills Mall

At approximately 12:05 p.m., McLeod crouched or concealed himself between two parked cars about 50 feet from the mall's main entrance. He was reportedly dressed in a suit, making his actions initially difficult for bystanders to understand. He suddenly raised the rifle and began firing toward people standing, sitting and walking near the entrance. Witnesses described McLeod repeatedly rising from behind the parked vehicles, selecting a direction and firing before lowering himself again. He discharged approximately 14 rounds during an attack lasting only a few minutes. He reportedly reloaded the rifle twice, demonstrating that the shooting was not a single impulsive discharge but a sustained assault on people in the parking area. Some victims were seated on benches outside the mall. Others were standing at the curb, walking toward the doors or riding in passing automobiles. Panic spread as shoppers heard the shots and saw people falling. Those who understood what was happening ran into stores, hid behind vehicles or dropped to the pavement. Mall employees pulled customers away from windows and attempted to move them deeper into the building. Jacquelyn "Jackie" Wharton had reportedly greeted Senator Jordan only moments before she was shot in the neck. Melvin DeRee Harrison Jr. was driving past the entrance toward Ivey's department store when a bullet struck him. James Godfrey Henry had come to the mall with members of his family to purchase a slide rule for his work. Jessie Burford West, an elderly shopper, was struck near the entrance and initially survived but died several days later. Senator Jordan escaped injury, but his press secretary, Wes Hayden, was critically wounded. Other victims included the wife of a North Carolina assistant attorney general and people whose ages ranged from a small child to elderly shoppers. Contemporary reports initially counted three people dead and eight wounded. When Jessie West died on June 3, the final toll became four murdered victims and seven surviving wounded victims. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Melvin D. Harrison Jr. 23 yr old Male

The Ruger 10/22 used by Harvey Glenn McLeod at ...