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 an 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.
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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