Case #12: The Grover Cleveland Elementary School Shooting

 Introduction: 

Newspaper headline after Brenda Spencer's arrest


The morning bell rang on January 29, 1979 signaling what was meant to be the beginning of the school day at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. Little did anyone know that danger lay in a house across the street. As the kids wandered into their classrooms, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer aimed at the school through the scope of a .22 caliber rifle. 

Brenda Spencer: 

Classmates described Brenda Spencer as being weird and too small to be scary. She also apparently didn't seem to bother anybody. She was also described as being lonely and having no friends. She was also very into guns. Her classmates also said that they never felt as though she would ever harm anybody. However, some of her classmates also said she had expressed a negative attitude towards police. Her father allegedly never allowed her to dress like a girl. Apparently all Brenda talked about was her interest in guns and how mean her father was. Her parents had separated at some point during her life, and Brenda had lived with her father in poverty. They had allegedly slept on a single mattress. 

There were some things Brenda Spencer said that left me unsure about much I could actually believe her. On one hand, she accused her father of beating and sexually abusing her in 2001, something her father denied. This is something I could potentially believe being true. However, she has also said she described herself as being "gay from birth."   

The Shooting: 

Brenda Spencer's victims who lost their lives

Now, I'm going to circle back to the shooting itself. The school principal, Burton Wragg was in the school's front office with sixth grade teacher, Daryl Barnes, enjoying a cup of coffee. The two men heard what they said sounded like firecrackers going off. The two men headed for different doors. Barnes said he looked over and saw Wragg stoop over a crying child. Seconds later, Wragg went down. Barnes then did his best to herd some of the surviving children into the prinicpal's office, and shouted at the secretary to call the police. Barnes then ran back outside to pick up a fallen child. 

At this time, Barnes heard three more shots ring out. He tried to calm the panic as best as he could, even though he was now in Brenda Spencer's sights. He had noticed a custodian by the name of Mike Suchar running toward him with a blanket in his hand. Barnes said he recalled Suchar saying: "My God, I've been hit," before falling to the ground dead. He also recalled a carload of children pulling up, and screaming at the car to leave immediately. 

Police were called relaitvely quickly. While Spencer continued firing, police used a garbage truck as a shiled, and in order to drive into the line of duty. The police managed to save countless lives. Brenda Spencer's shooting spree ended after sixteen minutes. 

The Aftermath:

Brenda Spencer's mugshot


In the aftermath, The school principal and the school custodian were dead. Eight children and one police officer were wounded. The police had surrounded Brenda Spencer's home. She had initially threatened to come out shooting. However, she ultimately surrendered peacefully. Officers noted beer bottles, but they also said that Brenda did not seem like she was intoxicated. 

When she was asked why she did it, Brenda Spencer had this to say: "I just did it for the fun of it. I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day. I have to go now. I shot a pig I think and I want to shoot more. I'm having too much fun. I had no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun. It was like shooting ducks in a pond. They looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings.  

Because of the severity of her crime, Brenda Spencer was tried as an adult. She ultimately pled guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Over the years, she has been denied parole four times. 

Something I mentioned earlier was the idea that I don't entirely trust some of the things she has said. I had mentioned that she accused her father of beating and sexually abusing her. The chairman of the parole board has apparently cast doubt on these accusations. In 1993, she alleged that she was intoxicated and the test results were hidden by the state and her attorney. Her defense attorney and the prosecutor both denied that this was the case.  

Sources:

http://www.sdpolicemuseum.com/Brenda-Spencer.html

https://sett.com/thefliegen/brenda-spencer

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/01/31/classmates-say-alleged-sniper-seemed-lonely-friendless-girl/54e24de0-c539-46e3-9518-8e1f488d7c52/

https://web.archive.org/web/20110516212738/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-21253207.html   

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