1976 Spring Hill shooting

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1976 Spring Hill shooting
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Spring Hill
Spring Hill (Brisbane)
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Spring Hill
Spring Hill (Australia)
LocationBoundary Street, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia
Date22 September 1976;48 years ago (1976-09-22)
12:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. (AEST; UTC+10:00)
TargetRandom people
Attack type
 Mass shooting, hostage crisis, mass murder
Weapons .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle
Deaths2
Injured4
PerpetratorWilliam Robert Wilson

On 22 September 1976, a mass shooting and hostage crisis occurred on Boundary Street in Spring Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 36-year-old William Robert Wilson killed two people and wounded four others at random before taking five hostages. He surrendered to police after an hours-long standoff and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1980.

Contents

Shooting

At 12:30 p.m. (UTC+10:00; AEST) on 22 September 1976, local labourer William Robert Wilson, armed with a .22-calibre rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition, began shooting at people on a car park ramp in Spring Hill. [1] [2] [3] Having been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Wilson was allegedly upset because he had been rejected for membership by a model plane club. [4] He first shot and wounded 28-year-old Donald Galloway and 25-year-old Virginia Hollidge before proceeding down the street, where he encountered 17-year-old Monica Schleuss. [1] [2] Wilson shot Schleuss in the head, killing her in the street. [2] The gunman crossed Boundary Street, and opened fire into a milk bar, fatally shooting 18-year-old Marianne Kalatzis and wounding 17-year-old Mavis Saunders. [2] Wilson walked to a neighbouring barber shop, where he fired at least four shots, wounding 48-year-old Quinto Alberto. [1] [2] The shooter then fled to a house in Kelvin Grove, where he forced his way inside and took five student teachers (four women and one man) hostage. [1]

The police response to the attack was initially bungled. Training was interrupted, and a responding vehicle carrying weapons crashed in Jindalee on its way to the scene. [1] Upon arrival, police surrounded the house where Wilson and his hostages were, with some officers donning bulletproof vests and others arming themselves with rifles and shotguns. [1]

Law enforcement negotiated with Wilson for about two hours, attempting to persuade him to surrender. [1] [2] At 3:30 p.m., one hostage escaped by telling Wilson she needed to use the restroom before instead running down the stairway. [1] Around 4:00 p.m., police decided to storm the house after Wilson threatened to kill the remaining hostages and was seen holding the gun to his victims. [3] When constables entered the room, the gunman and police exchanged gunfire. [3] Constable John O'Gorman managed to knock Wilson down and take him into custody at around 4:15 p.m. [2] [3]

On 23 September, Wilson, aged 36, appeared in court, charged with two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, unlawfully causing fear by being armed in public, and having a rifle with intent to commit a crime. [1] [5] He did not enter a plea, stating that he had not spoken to a lawyer. [5] [6] A judge recommended that Wilson be medically examined and presented back in court on 1 October. [5] [6] On that date, prosecutors advised that Wilson was receiving treatment at Wolston Park Hospital. [7] Wilson stayed in the psychiatric hospital for three years before he was found mentally fit to enter a plea. [3] [8] Aged 40, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 23 June 1980. [3] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Armed man kills two in four-hour rampage". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 September 1976. p. 1. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gun rampage in city kills two". Canberra Times. 23 September 1976. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Spring Hill Siege 1976" (PDF). Queensland Police Museum. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Brisbane crime: Spring Hill Siege of 1976 followed gruesome midday massacre" . Courier Mail. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Man charged over shooting". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 24 September 1976. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Cleaner, 36, remanded on murder charges". Canberra Times. 24 September 1976. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Charged man in hospital". Canberra Times. 2 October 1976. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Brisbane gunman jailed for life". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 June 1980. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
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