UT Austin Tower Sniper - Charles Whitman Texas 1966

Often referred to as America's first mass shooting, the Texas Tower Sniper incident changed forever the public's perception of the modern "mass killer". All American boy gone bad, or mentally ill man in desperate need of help? Even today, the answer is not clear...
If you would like to support this channel - buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEye
Although focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.
Channel contact: [e-mail]
#History #Disasters

[@davidprince1138]

I went to UT in '77 and there were still bullet chips in the tower. A woman that I worked with, who was 13 years older than I, worked in IT there and she said she was in the tower cafeteria when it started and she was about to go out, when she was grabbed and told to lay down. Wounded people could not be helped. It could have been much worse as he began shooting during a light period of student activity. There is a TV movie about it "The Deadly Tower". Kurt Russel played the sniper. He did quite well.

[@saragrant9749]

That must have been chilling to see.

[@benjalucian1515]

I've been to UT campus and seen the bullet chips. Totally unnerving.

[@jerrybarr8709]

l2q

[@paleo704]

Whitman was aided by the fact the APD was a bunch of clueless rednecks

[@bobbyd6680]

I was going to same the same when I went there in 1971. The shooting was still a vivid event for those of us back then.

[@Dat-Mudkip]

It boggles my mind that the man tried talking to _multiple_ doctors, and even told one exactly what he was thinking about doing, and yet none of them so much as wrote a few notes. I can't help but feel bad for Whitman. He clearly needed help, recognized he needed help, asked for help...and yet he got none, and was driven to madness. What really peaks my curiosity is that he actually recognized he had no good reason to kill his wife... she had done nothing to upset him, and yet he concluded he had to kill her regardless

[@tomasojones1751]

Which confirms the notion that psychologists, psychiatrists are utterly worthless. I´m talking from personal experience.

[@zThe_Questionz]

It’s strange that the story writes itself in some ways, I honestly feel bad for the man. Seeing himself go mad knowing there was something wrong with him. Some Shrinks almost immediately tried to put down the fact that the walnut sized tumor didn’t have a part in his decision to go to the Austin Tower maybe it did not everyone’s brains are wired the same. The fact from the journal entries it looked like he was a spectator interacting with a talk show host in a deadly game.

[@hstrangemusic]

@@tomasojones1751 ???? Speak for yourself bud. Psychs saved my life. Just cuz you’re too broken to be fixed don’t mean we are too

[@Bister_Mungle]

@@tomasojones1751 Seems we had different experiences. It's almost like there are good and bad doctors, same way there are good or bad cops, lawyers, bondsmen, etc.

[@jamesc.e.s.4551]

I'm his family member, and yes, he absolutely begged for help and was ignored. Our family still talks about it to this day, but he knew he had a tumor.

[@htos1av]

This is the best presentation I've seen on this incident. Man, you did ALL of the research, context, and information. This is by far the best, most respectful documentation I've seen. RIP to all.

[@sivonni]

One thing was missed. An off duty cop went up there with the other three.

[@dantheman5745]

It is impressive how you always strike the right tone in detailing these tragic events. Your narration is clear, exceptionally informative, dignified and respectful. And you very skillfully manage to avoid both sensationalization _and_ trivialization. Very well done, as always.

[@theravenseye9443]

Dan, you are the man! Thanks for the great comment!

[@Boss-zo4lw]

Cringe factor 100

[@jonmoll7178]

​@@Boss-zo4lwChild.

[@TracyA123]

Such a tragedy and to think a brain tumor could be the reason. I knew about this incident but I didnt know about the tumor. You really have to respect those citizens that showed up with rifles to help keep this guy's head down too. As usual, the video was beautifully done my friend! It must be double tough to keep your own mind in a good place when you research such sad subjects. Thank you for continuing to make such amazing content.☺👍

[@htos1av]

Yep, the author has the emotionally disciplined mind of a doctor. To be able to do this. For me, I find something that can be connected to my teens (not the sports stuff anymore) and forget about the moment to decompress. Music mostly.

[@TracyA123]

@@htos1av Yes! I do the same thing with very detailed technical videos and articles about 1960's technology! Funny as it may sound, it allows me to turn my brain off and relax. I don't think I could do the research Sam does without it starting to effect me emotionally. It's definitely a gift.

[@duncancurtis5971]

He killed people from the Texas Book Suppository, Sir! Grunts laugh, Gunny humphs. Whitman was in the Marine Corps, Sir! Correct!

[@Dilley_G45]

Armed citizens? Helping to keep a violent offender at bay? God forbid....the worst thing in the world for lefties 😆

[@kevin6293]

It was the reason he had headaches, not the reason he committed mass redrum.

[@brindlebucker4741]

The part that really got me was when the couple were leaving the observation deck, see a guy with a shotgun and just think, 'He must be here to shoot pigeons.' It's funny how we tell ourselves a constantly running story about what's happening around us that fits with our preconceived notion of what makes sense. Since it would not occur to them back then that someone might have shown up to do a mass shooting, 'shooting pigeons' (and which the couple might have seen a few out on the observation deck) was the most readily plausible explanation they came up with. Today, with mass shootings happening all the time, nobody would reach for the shooting pigeons explanation.

[@brianmatthews4323]

That's right. It's why optical illusions exist. Our brains are constantly trying to make sense of the world around us, and sometimes our brains get it wrong.

[@suomenpresidentti]

Reminds me of my very dear and loving uncle. Great young man, but brain tumor messed him up badly also. It was only discovered at autopsy. He was 24 when he jumped from hospital top floor window back in 1978. R. I. P.

[@legitbeans9078]

Sad. RIP

[@davemitchell116]

I began a 48-year broadcasting career in Texas on that day and this is the first story I ever covered. I found out later that the sister of one of my junior high buddies was shot in the chest but survived.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

“Where did Charles Whitman learn to shoot? IN THE MARINES, SIR!! “ - Full Metal Jacket I’ve seen parts of this before.. but this is pretty complete. I didn’t know about the brain tumor.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

His father taught him to shoot.

[@jayhughes4956]

We were told about it at the range when I was in boot camp Marine Corps. Trust me the Marines taught him to shoot not his father.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@jayhughes4956 His father taught him to shoot.

[@scallopohare9431]

@@jayhughes4956 You were there? 🙄

[@TheKep]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver his father showed him how to shoot. The marines taught him.

[@daphne8406]

What is so utterly creepy is that he is fully conscious and rational about what he is doing and that it is very very bad. He realizes his thoughts and actions are bad but seems unable to stop himself from performing them anyway 🤔 Like your body is being hijacked and looking on from the outside.

[@philgiglio7922]

The cocktail of drugs he was consuming, in combination with the tumor made rational thought impossible. We had an expression in the '60's..."speed kills". Enough methamphetamine blood levels can lead to psychosis and complete mental collapse. Not to mention sudden heart attacks or strokes

[@yogabumm]

He had a smidge of sanity left, but the drugs, the tumor, and the lack of help likely meant that that bit of sanity he still had didn't have the slightest chance to stop him.

[@zaingamingtv2242]

​@@yogabummits still freaky knowing that you can't control yourself yet still being aware enough to actually realise this. Insanity usually doesn't leave much awareness at all so it's more horrifying that he did realise what was happening but had no control at that point

[@petershilton6598]

I recommend the 2016 documentary film "Tower" on this subject. It cleverly uses archive footage along with rotoscopic animation to tell the tragic story. Highly original.

[@raffen4728]

+1

[@shanalouise]

Came to comments to recommend this same documentary.

[@scarymsmary]

Just stopped to watch it. WOW. It was REALLY well done.

[@kdub7195]

Where can you find it?

[@bobtaylor170]

The Texas Monthly article, 96 Minutes, is superb.

[@RagingMoon1987]

Claire Wilson was always the one I felt for the most. She lost her boyfriend and her unborn son in this incident, and she was so damaged on the inside that she couldn't have more children. She was just a little hippie girl, out minding her own business, and Whitman shot her.

[@cynthiatolman326]

She's the only one I remember.

[@billyg310]

so very sorry about what happened life is everything but fair I couldn't understand why he did it at the time until I heard about the brain tumor again so sorry God bless

[@theoverunderthinker]

she did live through it. not everyone was so lucky. 🤷‍♂

[@barbecueman6352]

@@theoverunderthinker sometimes living with such a trauma is worse than death

[@theoverunderthinker]

@@barbecueman6352 I doubt anyone among the dying would agree if given a choice.

[@thejudgmentalcat]

They did find a tumor...I hadn't heard that before. I believe it was that on top of PTSD in his childhood that made him snap

[@isaacsosa1000]

Charles Whitman was my father's Boy Scout leader in Austin. We have his signature on my dad's Boy Scout completion certificate. We used to have a picture of my father holding the Remington 700 but it got lost over the years. My father spent years in denial that the man he knew committed this crime and was always waiting for news that they made a mistake and determined that is was someone other than Charles Whitman that did the shooting. My father has a few interesting stories about Charles Whitman. This was a big deal when it happened. Now it happens every week.

[@grayrecluse7496]

He was most likely part of the MK ultra CIA testing.

[@JosefPantalon]

Wow! Youre really proud of that, arent you?

[@grayrecluse7496]

@@JosefPantalon Bet you were a big blm supporter ? How that working out for ya?

[@Rilez616]

@@JosefPantalon ?? When did he say that idiot

[@LabiaLicker]

Yeah happens every week in Baltimore, Detroit St Louis etc. But no one is allowed to say why it happens.

[@fallandbounce]

I'm glad you included the tumor, and the Texas medical community's lack of interest beyond prescribing drugs (for something they didn't bother looking into). This didn't have to happen.

[@neighborhoodcatlady6094]

I wonder if medical technology was advanced enough to detect at that time. MRI and CAT scans may have come later. Just a thought. 🤔

[@fallandbounce]

@@neighborhoodcatlady6094 X-rays were capable of spotting them by that point (having done so for years), though the better imaging of CAT scans and MRI were still a few years away. Doctors treated him as if he were just a young married man coming to terms with life's pressures. If they'd been listening, they could've deciphered that he may be dealing with a tumor. They weren't medical mysteries in 1966. He told his psychiatrist what he planned on doing, and was brushed aside. It seemed no one wanted to rock any boats, to keep things sunny.

[@Gail1Marie]

Back in 1960 or 1961, one of my aunts died of a brain tumor when she was only 37. In retrospect, her personality had changed over the previous 18 months and she also suffered from debilitating headaches. MRIs and CAT scans didn't exist back then. No one made the connection until the autopsy was performed. I don't know if much could've been done to help her even if they had known; radiation treatment was crude and brutal, and chemotherapy didn't exist.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

@@fallandbounce I think it was that doctors don’t expect to see a brain tumor in someone so young…99 times out of 100 it’s psychological and you see how effective the meds of the day were.

[@MelanieCravens]

@@fallandbounce And the shooter at Club Q in Colorado Springs told people, including the police, that he wanted to be "the next mass murderer" a year and a half before the attack. But nobody did anything.

[@orangehoof]

Well done. As a UT student and a long time Austinite, I've researched this event quite a bit. While sometimes credited as the nation's first mass shooter, there's a man in New Jersey named Howard Unruh in the late 1940s whose story is similar to Whitman's. Unruh fought in World War II. He killed his mother first, went on a small neighborhood shooting tour then returned home and talked to a reporter by phone. If your catalog doesn't include this tale, I think you should look into it.

[@firstnamelastname6216]

Actually, I was recently surprised to learn that there were a few mass "events" in the late 1700's in America, it's wild that this stuff has always happened. You should check it out, it's crazy.

[@elizabethsmith3374]

I wouldn't say first mass shooting but I would say first school shooting

[@pagodebregaeforro2803]

"best generation"...

[@ssplayer]

If I remember correctly Unruh didn't shoot any strangers. He supposedly had a beef with everyone he shot.

[@mike-xn1qj]

@@ssplayer He shot two people in a car that just happened to drive by at the wrong time. A channel called "well, I never" has a good video about it that I just watched.

[@usagi32211]

It's amazing to me that people could see him walking around with a gun and think nothing of it. The world used to be such an innocent place.

[@litigioussociety4249]

Most of it still is. Almost all the violent, gun crime in America happens in urban areas, and mostly in the biggest cities. Those neighborhoods all went really downhill starting in the 1970s due to inner city culture and politics. It's crazy how it takes less than a generation to ruin a neighborhood.

[@johncox2865]

Do you think many of us today would have had themselves deputized on the spot and gone out to face death as that civilian did? Of course not. Most of us would hang back and let others die. That, not any supposed innocence, is the main difference between then and now. Remember, WW II was over just a few years before. Everybody had lost someone in that monster.Those people took responsibility for themselves. And, they expected to find goodness in their world every day, not horror. For the most part, their politicians were still good and honorable leaders who they could trust. Babies in the womb could still trust their mothers for a few weeks, too. Life meant something, then.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

My favorite was : “they thought he was up there to shoot pigeons”. What? Since when is bringing a gun to a public tower to shoot pigeons ever been acceptable? Apparently Texas. I can’t envision the same thing at the Empire State Building at the time. But I think it does hit on a topic: there are fundamentally different attitudes about guns in different parts of the country.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

@@johncox2865 Well, in all fairness, it’s a different time. Deputizing that civilian helped a lot IMHO. Back then, you’d be a hero (and I know that’s not why he did it). Today, you’d get dragged in the media and you’d be in court for years. It has made me think: is it worth it? Is the harassment of my family worth it? You want your name on Tucker Carlson or his ideological opposite?

[@chab1rd155]

I thought all of his guns were hidden in the large footlocker he dragged up there?

[@abcnz1]

An excellent account of this horrific event (thank you). I find it 'interesting' that CW documented so much about his condition even to the point of hoping an autopsy would provide information to reduce the chance of such an event occuring again. Such a shame that the visit to the university psychiatrist yielded no further investigation as CW really seemed to be asking for help (much more so, I think, than many others that have commited similar acts of violence). This account provides a reason....not an excuse!

[@nonna_sof5889]

I wonder how much of the data from the autopsy remains and how much could be learned from it with modern techniques. For instance we now know that repeated blows to the head, such as can be suffered from abuse, can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy a symptom of which is excessive aggression and clinical depression.

[@joshcurtis386]

The dude told a shrink that he wanted to do this but wasn’t taken seriously. That shrink should have had his license revoked at the very least, he honestly probably should’ve gone to jail for gross negligence 😡

[@miguellee3]

I have seen almost all of your videos and this one was the most chilling. The fact that he kept battling internal urges to do harm is something I cannot comprehend and find utterly terrifying.

[@Jenny010132]

My mom was a student at UT at the time. She wasn’t on campus, thank God, but she was close enough to hear the shots.

[@scarpfish]

Another historical fact about the UT Tower. Along with it being the scene of the Whitman shooting, it was also where nine people had fallen to their deaths, seven of them by suicide. (This was both before and after the massacre). After a string of suicides in the early 70's, the UT administration closed access to the observation deck. This went on until 1998 and after suicide barriers were erected. I took a tour of the Tower in 2004 during the summer school break and yes, the view of the city and beyond up on the deck are amazing. It bears mentioning that on the UT website that tours of the tower are considered "non-historical" and guides do not in any official capacity mention the Whitman incident or the other deaths associated with the building.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

It’s a lot like the Vessel in NYC. They had to close the damn thing because too many people were committing suicide from it. I’ve been there… would have liked to gone into it but it was closed. I saw the memorial for the VA Tech shooting, really nicely done.. very simple.

[@orangehoof]

Before they closed off the tower years later, a candidate for student government recommended that bullseyes be painted next to all the tall buildings so jumpers would have something to aim for while giving passers by an area to walk around. He was not elected,

[@McPierogiPazza]

​@@JimAllen-Persona They keep refusing to put up barriers. That's all they need to do but they refuse

[@roadrunner381]

Thx for the info, interesting!👍

[@billyrichards8834]

Your SUCH A LIAR! THERE IS NO ACCESS to the rooftop observation deck, and there HASN'T BEEN since 1970!

[@HyBr1dRaNg3r]

So sad this had to happen. Don’t know how he could have asked for help more than he already did…He literally told a shrink that he wanted to go on a rampage shooting from the tower.

[@deuteronimus750]

This was televised live on KUT Austin tv . I was 11 years old and watched it unfold. People from all over town were shooting at the UT tower trying to take him out. A shooter damaged his only scoped rifle, making him switch to a rifle with iron sights that reduced the number of victims.

[@lofthouse23]

This is the only massacre where people have shot back. And not just the police, standard citizens. America in a nutshell.

[@carey579]

''Officer Martinez wasn't taking any chances. He grabbed the shotgun from McCoy, uttered a wild yell and ran'' LOL

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

What's funny about that?

[@bendewet1057]

Exactly!! It doesn't seem like a Joke to me.

[@CanIBorrowAFeelin]

He had to make sure.

[@hebneh]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver This is only partial quote of what's said, but the narrator DID pause after "and ran...", which initially made it sound like Martinez turned and ran away. In fact he ran towards Whitman and shot him again.

[@Blogdorf]

Whitman was officer Martinez’ ticket into the Texas Rangers. It’s common knowledge in the Texas law enforcement crowd that you had to have a notch on your pistol to gain entry - at least at that time. But if he had not had an officer behind him with a shotgun Whitman would have shot him dead.

[@cbbees1468]

The civilians who returned fire to pin him down before the cops arrived, saved lives.

[@darrylbunch6929]

How did they pin him down up in the tower ?

[@Aldnon]

@@darrylbunch6929 When bullet hitting your surrounding, you duck. Wait for bullet stop coming and fires back.

[@aziirax3400]

@@darrylbunch6929 by pinning him down they didnt mean phisically grabbing him and pinning him to the floor,they meant keeping him down like keeping him in cover because of supressive fire

[@fixento]

It was several police officers and civilians using hunting rifles that provide suppressive fire. This allowed police officers to access the bottom of the tower. Although he blocked the only access door to tower observation deck with a dolly it was pushed open and the officer shot and killed him. The autopsy revealed he had a tumor in his brain pressing on his optic nerves causing psychological problems, in addition to his family environment was the cause of his sudden violent behavior. He was a Marine sharpshooter.

[@drpoundsign]

@@fixento The Marines create Monsters...like the SS.

[@privatelyprivate3285]

Once again, a concise-yet-thorough + objective-yet-considerate summation that respectfully steers clear of exploitation. And, as always, new (to me) details. Thank you, and pls keep going without changing a thing!!!!!

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks mate!

[@kirtknierim3687]

Delivered with the polished professionalism we all have come to respect. Thank you RE.

[@ComaDave]

My friend of over 30 years suffered a couple of strokes, the second of which slightly damaged his amygdala...and his personality shifted towards one of indifference to his loved ones. We don't talk any more. I have very little doubt that Whitman's tumour contributed at least partially to his actions.

[@jeetime9436]

It’s sad for the victims and even Whitman. Thank goodness there were armed civilian men who quickly came to the aid of the innocent and laid suppressive fire. The book store manager was deputized and ran into this dangerous situation. It’s good to have men around when things get bad they will stand.

[@rogerstlaurent8704]

Back then Men were real Men and women were real women and everyone had respect for each other and if help was needed men and women would not hesitate to jump into the line of fire knowing they could be killed or injured as for the book store manager and the armed civilian men that came to the rescue they are the real heros in this story .... Whitman should have Blowed away the Lazy ass Doctors that did not want to help him instead they fed him a bunch of super high power meds and turned his brain into mush

[@jeetime9436]

@@rogerstlaurent8704 Killing the doctors would then make him the infamous doctor killer. The whole thing smacks of demonic possession, extreme mental illness, or a government psyop. But back to what is important. - Many Props to the men of Old. Hear Hear who showed great courage!

[@yogabumm]

@@rogerstlaurent8704 you say that like the parents didn't jump the police barrier and go in anyway in the Uvalde school shooting tho i agree that people who don't try at their jobs when those jobs dictate lives suck

[@kathypappas6867]

Wow , I forgot that he killed his mom and wife . I didn't know his doctor blew him off . He should have at the very least been fired .

[@HugeDike]

go home karen

[@benjalucian1515]

I remember reading an astonished quote from an international student at UT. He was terrified of the shooter, but was shocked that Texans could run to their homes and bring back guns and open fire on Whitman without anyone blinking.

[@oliverattwell8013]

Good thing they could!

[@benjalucian1515]

@@oliverattwell8013 IKR?

[@Truckngirl]

You told this story well. There is a reference to it in the movie Full Metal Jacket, during their basic training. Chapman and Lee Harvey Oswald, two of the most notorious shooters of this era, were both former Marines and excellent marksmen.

[@alonzosymalla8638]

Oswald barely qualified as a sharpshooter during basic, and barely qualified as a marksman in his last qualification test while a Marine. He was no expert marksman !

[@SergeantExtreme]

@@alonzosymalla8638 He still hit a moving target with two out of the three rounds fired from the top of a six story building. "Expert" or not, he was accurate!

[@robertdickerson3083]

Oswald couldn't hit his ass with a barn strapped to it. As a marine he was a nonqual

[@fatherpetey2866]

@@SergeantExtreme it wasn’t him

[@norsuist]

@@fatherpetey2866 of course it was but the cia and mob was in on it

[@txtom]

Well done! You're the first, that I've seen, tell the story and include the part about the autopsy! Very well done!

[@Theranchhouse1]

Ronnie Martinez is my husbands 1st cousin...Ronnie went on to be a Texas Ranger and then a retired judge in Texas...The family is very proud of him....

[@gary30229]

His name was not Ronnie.

[@isabelleist1234]

There's a really good documentary about this incident that uses rotoscope animation to recreate the stories of several survivors. It's called "Tower"

[@dx1450]

"Worst mass murder in the history of the U.S." Oh how innocent those times were back then...

[@LoneLee2022]

Ah, those were the days............

[@Gamble661]

The made for TV movie about this incident was very well done. Made for TV movies were very hit or miss back in the day but this one was pretty accurate and a young Kurt Russell played Whitman extremely well. The movie didn't posit any reasons for what he did but really just covered the details of the incident. There's also a very well written book about this; "A Sniper in the Tower" (1997) by Gary M. Lavergne that covers it in great detail. One thing that's in the book that's not covered here is how the two police officers handled the incident in later years; one of them dealt with it well but the other didn't, it effected him for the rest of his life in a very negative way.

[@scallopohare9431]

PTSD was not recognized until 1992, and is still not always treated effectively.

[@davidschaadt3460]

"The Deadly Tower".Great movie ,doesn't glorify him. Semi-Documentary style film.

[@heatherporterfield7343]

I saw that movie. Kurt Russell had little dialog in the film, but had enough ammo to hold off an army.@@davidschaadt3460

[@duncancurtis5971]

One of your lot needs to do the Naples Black Market Express of March 1944, when 500 were gassed inside a railway tunnel in Italy by the locos of a train that stalled on frozen rails. No injuries, peaceful death.

[@danelynch7171]

Holy shit.... Seriously? I've never heard of that. That's tragic

[@benjaminperez1149]

I remember this as a kid. We were affected by this shooting, JFK assassination and of course, the Manson Murders.

[@deeceea9488]

Excellent mini doc here. Narrator has the right voice for this. Stern, but comfortable. Stoic. Nice job.

[@melaniecarver5719]

I wanted to remark on how well you present and narrate your videos. I really look forward to your content. Since I rarely turn on my TV anymore, YT is where I find some great content, especially yours. Keep up the good work!

[@albertogarcia716]

I recently mentioned this shooting in a course I am taking in college and mentioned that in the movie "Full Metal Jacket" the drill sergeant mentions the incident with a morbid kind of pride that this man was once a Marine. Everyone was shocked because we were discussing PTSD and how it wasn't truly understood until many years after The Vietnam War.

[@carlv8168]

Right here, man! Always loved this scene, and awesome of you to bring this up in your college class. LMAO! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oprYpHibhZaEmac

[@norwegianwiking]

Imagine slowly going literally mad, knowing that what you're feeling is wrong. Seeking out medical help again and again, and being ignored at every turn. Until the madness finally wins, the rational side is still there but now its no longer in charge. Fucking hell.

[@sarahthegreat5543]

Roy Schmidt was a very close friend of my grandfather growing up, and my grandmother worked a few blocks away at a now long gone local business college. My grandfather went home to south Austin to collect his guns when he heard after turning on his work radio, but by the time he got back it was already over with. My grandfather still keeps a black and white small printout of Roy on his desk. May he rest in peace.

[@BillyAlabama]

I’m impressed with the work you put into this!

[@lifesahobby]

Great work .. quality upload . A tragic story ..

[@micheleshively8557]

Someone wrote a book I read about this. It was my 1st murder book to read. I was a teenager. My brother went to UT in the late 70's. Just looking at the tower gave me the heebie jeebies every time I saw it. So sad and tragic

[@LoneLee2022]

Is there a cure for the heebie jeebies or just treatment?

[@ami2evil]

@@LoneLee2022 He just changed his pants...

[@Keeper_91]

New sub. First video of yours I’ve watched and really enjoyed the format and narration. Thank you for your hard work and I can’t wait to see more!

[@JoeBobTarheel]

Insane Fact: the song, "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon XIV was at #3 days before this tradegy then fell to #5 the next week and after the tradegy want all the way down to #37 the next week. Which at that time was the biggest dropper in the Top 40... Cuz of this tradegy in Austin.

[@harrickvharrick3957]

Thank you for this incredibly well told story!

[@arnoldhenry]

I want almost 11 years old when this happen. What I heard is when the coroner did an autopsy on Charles Whitman, he discovered he had a brain tumor. They think the tumor kept pushing against his brain until he snapped.

[@troybaxter]

The tumor definitely played a serious role in his decision to kill everyone. The only thing I wonder is what did he experience while in the Marines? Our government isn’t exactly known for treating our men in arms right, especially during the Vietnam War.

[@Blogdorf]

My sister-in-law’s high school swimming coach was killed by Whitman. When I attended the University I could not walk by the tower without shuddering with fear. When you look up at the clock tower you’re staring at death. The tower also attracted a lot of troubled jumpers. So many that the authorities closed it. It may be open again.

[@stevendavis718]

My condolences to you. What was the name of the coach if you don't mind me asking?

[@Blogdorf]

@@stevendavis718 Steven, she never told me, but the professions of the victims are probably something that can be looked-up by researching the names. He would have been one of the older victims, since he was a high school coach.

[@user-jn4hy9po4u]

@@Blogdorf cudnt find him in the victim list

[@jessicamilestone4026]

As horrific as his actions were, I feel like he was badly let down.

[@kcrsradio]

Very well-done and concise documentary. Subscribed. Thank you!

[@danielshannon6027]

I remember the movie "Deadly Tower" with Kurt Russell portraying Whitman. Two siblings went to UT and we visited the tower. Beautiful building with a long tragic past.

[@MultiSweener]

Yes. The film was lensed at the Louisiana State House for understandable reasons.

[@Chris_0803]

He did this in the summer too. Imagine if he did it during the fall when the campus is 10 times more crowded

[@MB-vu3ow]

Excellent narration. Thank you.

[@johntowner1893]

Just found your equatorial guinea video and loved the content, checking this out now, and you’ve got my sub and likes.

[@MrNelmo2]

Fascinating story and superbly narrated.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks, appreciate your great comment.

[@owenfreed700]

Raven , Thank you for your videos

[@theravenseye9443]

Glad you like them!

[@dukevalentino]

@@theravenseye9443 do you think this was MK ULTRA?

[@bwktlcn]

Can you imagine the horror of feeling yourself slowly go mad, and you’re still sane enough to know something’s not right, but nobody seemed to find murderous rages and intentions abnormal. He’d have probably thought, “maybe I’m not as crazy as I thought.”

[@richardmerriam7044]

Absolutely superb analysis of this story. It's haunted me for many years.

[@DolanOk]

Every aspect of this story is tragic. From Whitman to the victims.

[@robinauseer499]

He knew something was wrong, he knew he was losing the battle against his mind, but no one else saw. If someone, especially a patient, says anything along the lines of that they think they will hurt someone, then you *don't just ignore it.*

[@fernfreeman1729]

But he still knew right from wrong. How was murdering people going to solve his problems? He knew he was going to die by doing this, so why bother?

[@B25gunship]

I was in the Navy with a guy who was trapped in the campus library during this event. He said is was pretty nerve racking hearing every shot and not knowing what was going on.

[@kaidusplatinum987]

The entire point of this incident is the focus on the tumor and how it was medically induced and caused him all the symptoms you covered in the video, it’s covered in psychology classes and neuro classes as a great example, ya rly glossed over it and through it in at the end when it should be the main focus of the entire video

[@hebneh]

One other post has already mentioned another movie inspired by this real-life incident, "Targets" from 1968. This was famous director Peter Bogdanovich's first movie. In it, the lead character is a blonde All-American type who first murders his wife and mother, then climbs onto a large fuel tank next to a freeway and shoots passing cars. Eventually he ends up at a drive-in theater where he also starts shooting people in the parked cars, but eventually is distracted by the appearance of real-life horror movie star Boris Karloff who also is seen on the screen at that moment in the film that's being shown. The shooter is then captured alive. This production came about because Karloff had a contract that required him to do a few more days' worth of filming and Bogdanovich came up with this story to make use of him.

[@MattBKn]

Something that wasn't mentioned, is that there is a song about this event written and performed by Harry Chapin called "Sniper". This song was released in 1972.

[@elliottprice6084]

As brilliant as ever. True crime stories make for some of the best videos. More please. The case of George Hennard would make for a good future video

[@zoobaby2003]

Had to pause this video to listen to Sniper by Harry Chapin (how I learned of this story) before I can enjoy your hard work. Thank your for your videos

[@LoneLee2022]

Yup! Great Song!

[@dwight7651]

As a small boy, I remember this happening… Thank You for your research and presentation

[@RH-lx5fr]

Love this channel.

[@ellenbryn]

Excellent retelling of a terrible day. My gut tensed as soon as I saw the thumbnail, and it was hard for me to watch. I might not be here, except my Mom was off-campus that day. There was a bullet hole in her windowsill or the outside of the building next to it, I forget which. Mom knew the receptionist upstairs (Edna) to speak to, because every time she drove back down to UT, the first thing she did, like everybody else, was go up to the top of the tower and "see that the hills [around Austin] were still in place,." (After all, most of Texas is flat.) a lot of Texas is flat. Mom talked about those two police officers (I don't think she knew about the bookstore guy) going up the elevator to disarm the sharpshooter, how they were almost unarmed- how today police are unable to do anything without panic-murdering innocent bystanders, and botch the jobs because they're all weapons and no training. As you can tell, I've heard about this shooting often- and no wonder, as college was the first time Mom had left home, and, as you said, no one had ever heard of a mass shooting at the time. After this, no one was allowed up the UT tower anymore. As so often, everyone's freedom is one more unspoken casualty of the terrorism of a few. I don't think she heard about the tumor. As for nurture vs. nature, I do think it was the tumor rather than just his upbringing- that request for an autopsy in his diary as well as other comments sounds like someone who's acutely aware of their mental illness. Damn that psychologist for not doing ANYTHING. It was a long time ago, and there may not have been protocols for how to handle a patient who may be an immediate danger to himself or others, but sheesh. (On the other hand I bet we all know how good some school doctors are. :P)

[@thefisherking78]

What a bizarre and fascinating story. I lived in Austin about twenty years after that and the impact was still very much seared into the collective unconscious there. Later on, my interest was reignited by Harry Chapin's epic song about it, Sniper. Although it is a flight of fantasy and it imagines many of the details, I think he did a great job of trying to put himself in that man's shoes

[@Dearest_orugitas]

Excited to see another video!!

[@Luis-nm5qy]

I am from Houston, i moved to Austin at the end of 2022. Since being here i have made lots of friends here from different countries and different states. I find the dark side of me shares this story quite often when myself and anyone unfamiliar drives past the tower.

[@redred222]

i used to live in that area, since this happened they caught at least 3 other deranged people that tried to go up to that tower to do another mass shooting, i think the last one was a few years ago i remember reading an article on it, something about that tower

[@troybaxter]

Something about human depravity. Some people just find inspiration and justification in the most horrid acts and people.

[@davidrossi5096]

Just a heads up from a Marine Corps vet, Sharpshooter is actually the middle grade of the three rifle qualifications. Expert is the highest, followed by sharpshooter, followed by marksman. Which isn’t surprising because generally the best shots tend to be the guys who show up with no shooting experience, they tend not to have any bad habits instilled by hillbilly dads and end up being easier to train. Everyone in my platoon from hunting backgrounds struggled on the range. Granted after training this guy was definitely more than able to take out defenseless students from a raised position and short/medium range distances, I just wouldn’t describe him as a great shot.

[@rwilsbach9206]

I remember this so well. Horrific, never suspected that it foreshadowed events to come. What I can't understand is why suicidal people have to take others with them.

[@ohoto3896]

All of the background info I didn't know about. well researched

[@mkocel]

The tumor part is crazy.

[@grmpEqweer]

Literally.

[@David-pd8li]

I lived in Austin in the middle 70's. I owned a music store at Guadalupe and 24th Street across the street from the university and a block north of the Student Bookstore where many of the victims in this incident died. I moved to Austin roughly a decade after the fact and apon becoming settled I started hearing stories about the shootings but I had no idea how traumatic and far reaching this event actually was for long term residents of the area and being born in 1955 I was only eleven years old at the time the tragedy occurred I had no memory of it. A number of people who were there in Austin at the time in which this all happened described the event to me in detail but the stories all seemed somewhat different to me so on many points I was confused but as I would walk down the "drag," what the locals called Guadalupe as I'd pass by the Student Bookstore and at some point I noticed pock marks in the marble panels on the front of the building. It didn't take long to figure out that they were where the rounds were hitting on that day and because of the extreme angle of the trajectory it was easy to determine where those shots came from. Later someone confirmed that I was correct in assuming that the damage I noticed was in fact as a result of Whitman's rampage and once I was sure I was right it was impossible to ignore them as I passed by. At that time mass shootings were very uncommon and the one that took place there was really the only one I'd ever heard of but now, every time I see a photo of the UT Clock Tower or we have another mass shooting at a school or in a bar I immediately think of those little holes, those chips missing from the front of that book store and it makes hearing the news more haunting and disturbing each time we have another shooting. Thank you for your video. It gave my understanding of that dreadful occurrence much more clarity. Hopefully one day things like this will only be a part of our past.

[@johnnoone4323]

We lived in San Antonio and watched this tragedy unfold on live TV. Monday, August 1, 1966 - I will never forget that day; it was terrifying to watch and gave me the shivers for many days afterwards. To this day, the hero was the Police Officer who stopped (shot) Whitman. A horrible event for all concerned.

[@williamunknown7209]

Both of my parents were UT grads but we were living in Florida at the time of this event. I was only 13, but I remember hearing it on the radio live, hearing gunshots in the background while the commentator was speaking. Most sadly looking back now is that at that time that was an unheard of tragedy and now it happens several times a week in our country. God Bless America!

[@alkohallick2901]

I went to school with him. He was a good guy.

[@samanthagomez7074]

Wow really

[@uribobo]

Just watched the movie The Deadly Tower from 1975 with Kurt Russell last week, which is based on this story.

[@SuperTonyony]

When I was a kid in the '70s and '80s, whenever someone was frustrated about a situation, they would joke that they were "going to the top of a tower with a rifle". Gallows humor was popular back then.

[@debbiemichaels4632]

Beautifully done in describing such details. Whitman knew exactly what he was doing. Premeditated is all I can say

[@foo219]

They think they can stop an army, but they forget that in order to shoot someone they have to see them and line up a shot. Against unarmed civilians like this, a sniper is a nightmare. Against an army, they're a nuisance element you use as a distraction to set up the actual attack.

[@JSLeeds]

Born and raised in Austin, everyone of a certain age has a story about this. I even saw quite a brilliant musical about this.

[@teresabenson3385]

A MUSICAL, are you serious?

[@swashington942]

Now that’s just weird.

[@chrisgwynne1586]

What was the musical called? "Singing in the Rain of Bullets".

[@fredrickmillstead2804]

Well done narrative.

[@AceGoodheart]

Neither CAT scans or MRI were invented before this tragic shooting. Two modalities that could scan the brain and look for any abnormalities. I'm sure the brain tumor was the main reason for Whitman's actions. He tried to seek help but unfortunately not much could be done in those days.

[@teresabenson3385]

Texas in the 60's. Imagine today thinking nothing of a man with a rifle in an observation tower, or a bunch of civilians grabbing their own hunting rifles to shoot back.

[@zeronzemesh7718]

I'd say a brain tumor is a damn good possibility of causing this. It's just completely moronic to think that anything putting pressure on your brain won't possibly cause severe irrational acts

[@Jman417]

This event was reinacted in John Singleton's movie " Higher Learning". Rest in Peace to singleton and the victims of Whitman.

[@jerichohill487]

Gives new meaning to Whitman sampler

[@harryshriver6223]

By all accounts this was a horrible tragedy for everyone, for Whitman and especially for the innocent victims of his rampage. If only someone had listened when he was screaming out loud for help if only the psychiatrist had reported what he heard to someone and said hey! This man is probably a danger to himself and others,. How many lives ruined unnecessarily? How many people didn't have to die? We will never know and my heart goes out to all the victims of this tragedy, the first covered mass shooting in America by the media.

[@ericf7063]

Hindsight being 20/20. Things like that just didn't happen back then. Today however, it doesn't seem to matter if someone says anything or not. They still don't do anything about it. Like the teacher a few months ago when multiple reports of her student being armed was reported and nothing was done.

[@Iamrightyouarewrong]

Funny how we never remember the victims.

[@danelynch7171]

Haha?

[@McPierogiPazza]

I do. The pregnant woman who was shot is always the first thing I think of