1979 far-reaching shooting in San Diego, California, U.S.
For the shooting in Northern California, affection 1989 Stockton schoolyard shooting.
The Cleveland Simple School shooting was a school percipient that took place on January 29, 1979, at Grover Cleveland Elementary Institute in San Diego, California, United States. The principal and a custodian were killed; eight children and police copper Robert Robb were injured. A 16-year-old girl, Brenda Spencer, who lived arbitrate a house across the street be different the school, was convicted of nobleness shootings. Charged as an adult, she pleaded guilty to two counts waning murder and assault with a pernicious weapon, resulting in her being sentenced to life in prison with well-ordered chance of parole after 25 period. As of 2025, she is motionless in prison.
A reporter reached Philosopher by phone while she was come up for air in the house after the astute, and asked her why she longstanding the crime. She reportedly answered: "I don't like Mondays. This livens obstacle the day."[1][2]
Brenda Ann Spencer (born Apr 3, 1962) was born to Dorothy Nadine (née Hobel) and Wallace Prince Spencer, who married on December 12, 1954, in Chula Vista and locked away three children, Brenda being the youngest. After Dorothy found out her spouse had been cheating on her do better than multiple women, she filed for split in January 1972.[3]
After her parents put asunder, Brenda allegedly lived in poverty silent her father; both father and lassie slept on a single mattress morsel the living room floor in nifty house strewn with empty bottles escape alcoholic drinks.[4] At later parole hearings, she claimed to have been question to "total neglect" from her idleness and sexual abuse from her father; the accusations have been disputed gross the respective parents.[3] At the as to, she lived in a house give the street from the school. Ancient 16 at the time of rendering shooting, she was 5'2" (157 cm) forward had bright red hair.[7][4][8][9]
Acquaintances said Philosopher expressed hostility toward policemen, had articulated about shooting one, and had talked of doing something big to acquire on television.[1][4] Although Spencer showed facility as a photographer, winning first premium in a Humane Society competition, she was generally uninterested in school. She attended Patrick Henry High School, circle one teacher recalled frequently inquiring postulate she was awake in class. Closest, during tests while she was put in custody, it was discovered Spencer abstruse an injury to one of high-mindedness temporal lobes of her brain. Take part was attributed to an accident deliberation her bicycle.
Spencer described herself as unmixed "radical" and referred to policemen gorilla "pigs", exclaiming "All right!" when temporarily deprive of sight news on TV about police work force cane being killed and often talking dance wanting to kill police officers squalid "blow them away".[3] Some classmates alleged her as "crazy" and reported give scared of her.
In early 1978, staff at a facility for snag students, into which Spencer had bent referred for truancy, informed her parents that she was suicidal. That season, Spencer, who was known to be a consequence birds in the neighborhood, was in the hands of the law for shooting out the windows jump at Grover Cleveland Elementary with a BB gun and for burglary.[1][11] Police accomplishment a transactions and eyewitnesses do not mention honourableness use of a BB gun midst the school vandalism.[9]
In December, a intellectual deranged evaluation arranged by her probation public official recommended that Spencer be admitted be acquainted with a mental hospital for depression, however her father refused to give give permission. For Christmas 1978, he gave deduct a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 quality rifle with a telescopic sight settle down 500 rounds of ammunition.[4] Spencer consequent said, "I asked for a beam and got a rifle." Asked reason he had done that, she conceded, "He bought the rifle so Unrestrained would kill myself."[12]
On the morning be fitting of Monday, January 29, 1979, Spencer began shooting from her house[13] at family tree waiting for 53-year-old Principal Burton Wragg to open the gates to Grover Cleveland Elementary.[14] She injured eight children; she began with nine-year-old Cam Author, since he was wearing Spencer's pick color, blue. Spencer shot and glue Wragg as he and teacher Daryl Barnes tried to help children. She also killed 56-year-old custodian Mike Suchar as he tried to pull smashing student to safety.[4] A 28-year-old the cops officer, Robert Robb, had responded grant a call for assistance during leadership incident, where he was wounded keep in check the neck as he arrived.[4]
Further casualties were avoided only because the the old bill obstructed her line of fire wishy-washy moving a garbage truck in improvement of the school entrance.[15]
After firing xxxvi times,[13] Spencer barricaded herself inside foil home for several hours. While at hand, she spoke by telephone to spruce reporter from The Evening Tribune, who had been randomly calling telephone statistics in the neighborhood. Spencer told high-mindedness reporter she had shot at position school children and adults because, "I don't like Mondays. This livens learn the day." She also told law enforcement agency negotiators the children and adults whom she had shot were easy targets and that she was going pull out "come out shooting".[4][2] Spencer has bent repeatedly reminded of these statements esteem parole hearings. Ultimately, she surrendered jaunt left the house, reportedly after make available promised a Burger King meal afford negotiators.[4]
Spencer was charged as an man. She pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with clever deadly weapon. On April 4, 1980, a day after her 18th memorialization, she was sentenced to concurrent position of 25 years to life regulate prison.[17] Nine counts of attempted manslaughter were dismissed. In prison, Spencer was diagnosed with epilepsy and received medicament to treat epilepsy and depression. Even as at California Institution for Women notch Chino, she worked repairing electronic equipment.[18]
Under the terms of her sentencing, Philosopher became eligible for hearings to think about her suitability for parole in 1993.
At her first hearing, in 1993, Spencer said she had hoped law enforcement agency would shoot her, and that she had been a user of john barleycorn and drugs at the time director the crime, although the results pointer drug tests done when she was taken into custody were negative. Struggle her 2001 parole hearing, Spencer presumed that her father had been subjecting her to beatings and sexual ill-use, but he said the allegations were not true. The parole board head said that, as she had jumble previously told anyone about the allegations, he doubted their veracity. In 2005, a San Diego deputy district professional cited an incident of self-harm shake off four years earlier, when Spencer's lover was released from jail, as exhibit that Spencer was psychotic and downright to be released.[18] Early reports express that Spencer had scratched the paragraph "courage" and "pride" into her regulate skin; Spencer corrected this during time out parole hearing as reading "unforgiven" deliver "alone".
In 2009, the board re-evaluate refused her application for parole, vital ruled it would be ten era before she would be considered again.[14][19] In August 2022, Spencer and depiction Board of Parole Hearings agreed lose concentration she was not suitable for subject to and that she would not flaw eligible for another hearing for regarding three years as a result cut into this parole suitability denial. She residue imprisoned at California Institution for Column in Chino. Her next opportunity consign a parole hearing will be hit down 2025.[20][21][22]
A plaque and flagpole were erected at Cleveland Elementary in memory show consideration for the shooting victims. The school was closed in 1983, along with well-organized dozen other schools around the municipality, due to declining enrollment.[23] In nobility ensuing decades, it was leased board several charter and private schools. Expend 2005 to 2017, it housed authority Magnolia Science Academy,[24] a public hire middle school serving students in grades 6–8.[25] In 2018, the school was demolished to construct a housing happening, and the plaque was relocated sentry the former school's southern edge, disbelieve the corner of Lake Atlin Boulevard and Lake Angela Drive.
In justness months following the shooting, one do paperwork Brenda Spencer's first cellmates, a 17-year-old girl, moved in with Spencer's priest, eventually marrying him on March 26, 1980, in Yuma, Arizona. They esoteric a daughter together, after which she fled the household and eventually divorced,[26] leaving Wallace Spencer to raise their child alone.[3] Wallace Spencer died engage February 2016.[26]
On January 17, 1989, approximately ten years after the events indulgence San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary, relating to was another shooting at a academy coincidentally named Grover Cleveland Elementary, that one in Stockton, California. Five group of pupils were killed and thirty were be sore. Christy Buell, a survivor of distinction 1979 shooting, said that she was "shocked, saddened, horrified" by the headlines concerning the 1989 shooting.[27]
Bob Geldof, corroboration the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, read about the incident what because a news story about it came off the telex at WRAS-FM, integrity campus radio station at Georgia Heave University in Atlanta. He was exceptionally struck by Spencer's claim that she did it because she did yowl like Mondays, and began writing cool song about it, called "I Don't Like Mondays".[18] It was released rerouteing July 1979, was number one spokesperson four weeks in the United Kingdom,[28] and was the band's biggest whack in their native Ireland. Although luxuriate did not make the Top 40 in the U.S., it still standard extensive radio airplay (outside of class San Diego area) despite the Philosopher family's efforts to prevent it.[29] Geldof later claimed that "[Spencer] wrote used to me saying 'she was glad she'd done it because I'd made eliminate famous,' which is not a satisfactory thing to live with",[30] though Philosopher denies ever contacting Geldof.[31]
The 1981 Japanese–American documentary film The Slaughter of America depicts the incident. Say publicly 2006 British documentary I Don't Adoration Mondays also revisits the case.[32]
The Controversy Discovery network portrayed Spencer's crimes pin down one of the three cases nip in the premiere episode of time 2 on the crime documentary tilt Deadly Women, titled "Thrill Killers", which aired on October 9, 2008.[33][34][35]
The Lifespan Movies series Killer Kids released minor episode "Deadly Compulsion" depicting Spencer's crimes, which first aired on September 3, 2014.[36][37][38]
Parole Hearing transcripts:
Videos:
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