Westernville New Year's Day shooting
| Westernville New Year's Day shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Westernville, New York, United States |
| Date | January 1-2, 1969 |
Attack type | Mass murder, mass shooting |
| Deaths | 5 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator | Ralph MacLachlan |
The Westernville New Year's Day shooting was a mass murder that occurred at a family gathering in Westernville, New York, United States on New Year's Day in 1969. Ralph MacLachlan (aged 35 or 37),[1][2] a meat cutter and church elder, armed with a semi-automatic .22-caliber rifle, killed four people, including his wife, and injured five others. The next morning, MacLachlan committed suicide by shooting himself following an exchange of gunfire with police.[3][4][5] Following the shooting, MacLachlan's brother stated that he had "no indication he was acting abnormally" during a phone conversation around an hour before the shooting. At the time, according to his brother, MacLauchlan was watching a New Year's Day bowl game on the television.[6]
Victims[edit]
Four people were shot and killed, and a further five were injured. The fatalities include:
- Anita Turke MacLachlan, 33,[7] the perpetrator's wife
- Jane Turke Ringrose, 35, the perpetrator's sister-in-law
- Barbara Jean Ringrose, 12, the perpetrator's niece
- Milton James Pepper, 14,[7] the family's neighbor
Additionally, the shooter injured his father-in-law, mother-in-law, 10-year-old niece, brother-in-law, and another neighbor.[3] MacLachlan and Anita's two-year-old and nine-month-old sons were unharmed after Anita hid them in a bedroom closet.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Pelkey, Herbert G. (3 January 1969). "Slayer of Four Kills Self In Shoot-Out with Police". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Mass Slayer Kills Himself, Ending Rampage of Gunfire" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. 3 January 1969. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b Twellman, Chip (29 November 2020). "Horrific 1969 crime scene: Four murdered, five wounded in deadly domestic dispute". Daily Sentinel.
- ^ "Marital Problems: Motive For Killings?". Advance news. (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) 1967-current, January 05, 1969, Image 20. Advance News. 5 January 1969. p. 20.
- ^ "Gunman Kills Four Persons; Takes Own Life". da.tj.news. The Daily Gleaner. January 2, 1969.
- ^ "Man Kills Self After Slaying 4". The Tampa Tribune. 3 January 1969. p. 22. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b Pelkey, Herbert G. (2 January 1969). "Gunman Kills 4 Persons, Wounds Eight Others in Adirondack Community". Ogdensburg Journal. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Future Of Two Orphaned Children Remains The Unanswered Question". Advance News. 5 January 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- 1969 in New York (state)
- 1969 mass shootings in the United States
- 1969 murders in the United States
- Attacks during the New Year celebrations
- Deaths by firearm in New York (state)
- Mass murder in 1969
- Mass shootings in New York (state)
- January 1969 events in the United States
- Murder in New York (state)
- Familicides