A shooting occurred on July 23, 1977, at the Uncle Albert's Lounge near Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States. 26-year-old DeWitt Henry, an unemployed truck driver, armed with a Colt AR-15 Sporter[1][2] semi-automatic rifle, opened fire at the club. Six people were killed.[3]
Henry was adopted as an infant in Bakersfield, California, by married couple Andrea Henry and Dewitt Henry. He was a 6'3", 230 pound unemployed trucker at the time of the shooting, but he used to work as a bouncer at the establishment he would later attack. Prior to the shooting, he was convicted of negligent homicide.[4]
Attack
Henry got into an argument with Bill Ransom over a bar bill. Ransom struck Henry during the argument. Henry said "I always liked you – just get on out of here." to James Williamson, the dishwasher at the establishment. After Williamson left, Henry opened fire, killing six people, including a pregnant woman. He also opened fire on two state troopers, who eventually arrested him after a gunfight, where the shooter was wounded.[5][6]
Dewitt Charles Henry was tried in Multnomah County Circuit Court in November 1979. He pleaded not guilty due to a "mental defect".
The jury did not believe the defense's arguments, and DeWitt was found guilty on six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was given six consecutive life sentences. He was not a candidate for the death penalty because Oregon did not have capital punishment at the time. [8]
According to the Oregon Department of Corrections website, as of July 2025, Henry was incarcerated at the Snake River Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison. The website described him as 74 years old, 6 feet 5 inches tall, and weighing 459 pounds.
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