This list of Charles Whitman's victims includes people who were killed and injured by Charles Whitman. Whitman is known for ascending the University of Texas' 27-story tower on August 1, 1966, and shooting passersby in the city and campus below.
In total, Whitman killed 14 people, including the unborn child of one victim, and wounded 31 others at and around the tower, before he was shot dead by Austin police. The total number of fatalities is sometimes listed as 15, as some sources include the death of David Gunby. Two other victims, Whitman's wife and mother, were murdered the night prior to the tower shootings.
Margaret Whitman
Mother of Charles Whitman, she was strangled to death with a rubber hose in her apartment prior to the tower shootings.
Kathy Whitman
Wife of Charles Whitman, she was stabbed to death while she slept, prior to the tower shootings.
Edna Townsley
Forty-seven year old receptionist and divorced mother of Danny (16) and Terry (12). Whitman encountered her in the reception area just inside the deck of the 28th floor. He hit her on the head with the butt end of one of his guns.
Marguerite Lamport
Aunt of Mike and Mark Gabour. Shot on stairs leading to the reception room.
Mark Gabour
Mike and Mark Gabour, the 16 and 19-year-old sons of M.J. Gabour, led their father, mother, aunt and uncle up to the observation deck of the tower just as Charles Whitman was assembling his arsenal. He opened fire on them, killing Mark and his aunt Marguerite Lamport.
Thomas Frederick Eckman
Eighteen years old, Eckman was the son of Mary Louise and Frederick Eckman. A native of Ohio, Eckman was studying anthropology in the summer session at, preparatory to going to historically black Huston-Tillotson College in Austin. His chief interest was writing, specifically poetry. When the shooting started, he was outside Benedict Hall with his girlfriend Claire Wilson, who was eight months pregnant. Claire Wilson, who was struck in the abdomen, was the first person Whitman shot after he emerged onto the tower observation deck. Tom Eckman was struck right after Claire. He died in the hospital, the baby was stillborn, and Claire survived but was unable to bear any more children. Tom's brother, Michael Campbell, was also in Austin during the shooting and went to the hospital as soon as he heard that his brother had been shot. He said that so many of the victims were members of the local UT-Austin chapter of SDS that "it looked like an SDS convention".
Robert Hamilton Boyer
A 33-year old mathematics professor at UT, Robert Boyer had just finished a month teaching in Mexico and had secured a job at Liverpool University to be closer to his pregnant wife Lyndsay, and their children Laura and Matthew. He was shot in the back.
Thomas Ashton
A 22-year old Peace Corps trainee from Redlands, California, Thomas Ashton was a recent USC graduate attending UT for orientation for his upcoming deployment to Iran on September 14, 1966. He was walking atop the University's Computation Center when he was shot in the chest. He died at Brackenridge, a local Austin hospital. His parents were George F. and Alice Ryan Ashton.
Thomas Karr
A 24-year old UT student and previous Army Security Agency Specialist, Karr had just finished a Spanish exam when he was shot in the spine. He was walking alongside Karen Griffith. He died after being taken to the hospital. His father was Ray T. Karr.
Harry Walchuk
A 39-year old PhD student, he had six children with his wife Marilyn: John, Peter, Christopher, Jennifer, Thomas, and Paul. He had gone to Guadalupe Street to purchase a magazine during his lunch hour, was shot, and died while in emergency surgery. A memorial fund was established in his name.
Paul Bolton Sonntag
An 18-year old graduate of Stephen F. Austin High, Paul Sonntag had been accepted to the University of Colorado for the upcoming term, and was working as a lifeguard at the local pool. Out with his fiancée Claudia Rutt and their friend Carla to pick up his paycheck and get Claudia a polio vaccination, when the shooting started the three of them took cover behind construction barriers in front of the Snyder-Chenards dress shop. At one point Paul stood up, exclaimed "Carla! Come look, I can see him. This is for real!" and was shot in the mouth. His grandfather, KTBC anchor Paul Bolton, learned of his death when he asked reporter Joe Roddy to read out a list of casualties on-air. He was buried in Austin Memorial Park.
Claudia Rutt
An 18-year old who dreamed of becoming a dancer, Claudia Rutt had been accepted to Texas Christian University for the upcoming term. She was out with her fiancé Paul Sonntag, getting a polio vaccination. Rutt moved out from the barriers to try and help the wounded Sonntag, but was shot in the chest by Whitman moments later. She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery. Her father was Melvin, her mother is Diane, and her sister is Mary Anne.
Roy Dell Schmidt
A 29-year old electrical repairman, Roy Dell Schmidt had just finished making a phone call when a bystander announced the gunfire. He was running towards his truck with a co-worker when he was shot in the stomach. He left behind his wife Nancy White and their daughter, Kimberly Dawn.
Karen Griffith
A 17 year old daughter of Harvey Griffith, Karen also had a sister Pamela. She was a student at Lanier High School in North Austin, where Whitman's wife, Kathy, was a teacher. She was shot in the lung and died after a week in the hospital. Her funeral was held the following day at Crestview Memorial Park in Wichita Falls. Her school's 1967 yearbook was dedicated to her and Kathy Whitman.
David Gunby
A 23-year old electrical engineering student, Gunby was shot in the lower-left back, while walking towards the University library. During surgery to reconnect his severed small intestine, doctors realized that Gunby's sole kidney had been severely damaged by the shooting. He later required a kidney transplant, and dialysis. On November 12, 2001, David Gunby died of long-term kidney complications from a wound he received while on the South Mall. Facing the prospect of losing his eyesight, he refused further treatment and died shortly thereafter. The Tarrant County Coroner's report listed the cause of death as "homicide."
Unborn child, surname Wilson
Claire Wilson was 8 months pregnant at the time of the shooting. She was shot in the abdomen, and as a result gave birth to a stillborn child. The mother's boyfriend, Thomas Eckman, was shot and killed while attempting to help the wounded Wilson. Claire Wilson survived but was unable to have any more children.
The unborn baby was a boy, whom Wilson named Thomas in memory of Tom Eckman.
See also University of Texas shooting 2010
University of Texas campus Shooting
(source:wikipedia)
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