# 1977 Klamath Falls nightclub shooting

A shooting occurred on July 23, 1977, at the Uncle Albert's Lounge near Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States. 26-year-old DeWitt Charles Henry, an unemployed truck driver, armed with an M16-style semi-automatic rifle, opened fire at the club. Six people were killed (one of whom was 8 months pregnant).
The shooting at Uncle Albert's was considered the worst mass shooting in Oregon history at the time; it was later surpassed by the Umpqua Community College shooting in Roseburg in 2015. It was also the first use of an AR-15 in a mass shooting in modern history.

## Perpetrator

DeWitt Charles Henry (born April 1951) was adopted shortly after his birth by a farmer living in Wasco, California. Considered an average student growing up (with the exception of going out for the high school football team and participation in Future Farmers of America), DeWitt did little to stand out amongst his peers. After graduating in 1969, he spent the fall at Bakersfield College, but after just a short time, he dropped out and began working instead.
In 1971, DeWitt was driving his sports car along Highway 41 at a dangerous 80 to 85 miles per hour when he crashed head-on with a 30-year-old woman named Glenna Holmes, her husband Glen, and their four children. Glenna never recovered from her injuries and, just four days after the accident, passed away inside of the hospital. Originally charged with felony drunk driving and manslaughter, DeWitt was later charged with a lesser crime of misdemeanor manslaughter and was convicted the following year. Due to his actions, he lost his driver's license (though he was allowed to make the drive between home and work), was fined $500, and was sentenced to serve 14 weekends in jail. Following the completion of his sentence and the death of his adopted father, DeWitt moved to Oregon and cut off contact with his adoptive mother. Soon after, DeWitt joined the U.S. Navy but was later discharged due to his poor health. From then on, he held various jobs, some of which he left on his own accord, and some he was fired from after employers found him threatening and belligerent; one such job held about a year before the shooting was as a bouncer at Uncle Albert's Lounge.
During this switch from job to job, DeWitt met, and in February 1977, married, a woman named Vicky Paulus, bringing two children with her into the relationship. Shortly after their wedding, DeWitt became concerned for their safety, as Vicky's ex-husband caused $3,500 worth of damage to their home and threatened to kill him. Wanting to keep them safe, he sent his wife and her two sons to stay with a friend while he, after calling the police, slept on his couch armed with a gun in case the man returned. That May, DeWitt attempted to overdose on drugs. According to Vicky, her husband, a longtime drug abuser, was a good man but seemed to be suffering from some unknown psychological problems and would often go days without sleep.
Things got so bad that on July 21, 1977, DeWitt was served with divorce papers. Unwilling to let Vicky go, on the night of July 22, he made a trip to try and reconcile. When that didn't work, he pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her. She said she would go with him in his truck if he promised not to hurt her. He agreed, and once inside, drove off with the gun still pressed to her temple. At some point, however, he jerked the weapon to his own head and threatened to take his own life. Eventually though, he threw the gun out the window after Vicky agreed to come back home with him if he unarmed himself. They drove back to the house that they shared and spent the night together.

## Shooting

On the morning of July 23, 1977, DeWitt's wife, Vicky Paulus, made it clear to DeWitt that their relationship was now over. He responded by driving off to find the gun that he discarded along their drive and spent the rest of his day drinking beer, smoking marijuana, and taking amphetamines. That same day, Vicky contacted the police and asked for protection while moving out of their home. Unfortunately, officer Kenneth Cooper said that he would not mediate a family fight after telling him about the incident the day before, instead offering to arrest DeWitt, but Vicki told him not to.
Just four hours later, DeWitt went to Uncle Albert's (the tavern in Klamath Falls where he used to work as a bouncer) and got into a fight with a fellow customer; he was kicked out because of his actions. He made his way to another nightclub, where he told the barmaid that he intended on getting his revenge for the slight at Uncle Albert's.
A few hours later, he came back to the bar and got into a fight with the club's owner, Bill Ransom. Bill had asked DeWitt to repay a bar bill of $180, and when he refused, Bill got physical. DeWitt told Bill that he had a list of people he was going to blow away and that he was now on the top of it. He left again and this time told dishwasher James Williamson, "I always liked you. Just get on out of here at 2:10 a.m." After waiting in his pickup truck in the parking lot, DeWitt Henry picked up his Colt AR-15 SP1 M16-style semi-automatic rifle and began firing at the 50 or so patrons as they left the tavern at closing time.
In total, six individuals would lose their lives: Gary Lee Anderson (27), Michael Jean Mortenson (23), James l. Truman (25), Andrew Lane Walker (23), Robert Dale Cedar (26), and his wife Carol Ann Cedar (23); Carol was eight months pregnant at the time (their baby died along with the couple).
Shortly after the shots started ringing out, a state trooper, Michael Spencer, pulled up in his patrol car and fired twice at DeWitt's truck. Seeing the car, DeWitt began making a break for it and fled the scene. DeWitt led police on a chase until he drove into a residential area and straight into a dead-end driveway, where he was cornered by the police. After a brief exchange of gunfire, another officer, Kenneth Cooper, crashed into DeWitt and put an end to the shooting.
While two officers were injured, no one else lost their lives. That night, DeWitt (injured after being hit with buckshot in the shoulder and face) was taken to the hospital after his arrest. After he was treated, he was taken to the county jail.

## Victims

Deceased:
* Robert Dale Seater, 26 (of Klamath Falls, Oregon)
* Carrol Ann Seater, 23 (of Klamath Falls, Oregon); Carrol was 8 months pregnant (the baby was among the deceased)
* Michael Jean Mortensen, 23 (of Klamath Falls, Oregon)
* Gary Lee Anderson, 27 (of Klamath Falls, Oregon)
* Andrew Lane Walker, 23 (of Medford, Oregon)
* James L. Trueman, 25 (of Kodiak, Alaska)

## Trial

Dewitt Charles Henry was tried in Multnomah County Circuit Court in November 1979. He pleaded not guilty due to mental illness or defect; he blamed his troubled life and current situation for his actions that night, as well as his use of both drugs and alcohol in the hours before the shooting. He claims he did not remember anything that night and only came to upon waking up in the hospital.
The jury did not believe the defense's arguments, and DeWitt was found guilty on six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was given six consecutive life sentences plus an additional 40 years on December 18, 1979. He was not a candidate for the death penalty because Oregon did not have capital punishment at the time.
DeWitt Henry remains incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary without possibility of parole.