2011 Carson City IHOP shooting

Shooting

The attack began at 8:56 a.m. when the gunman arrived at a strip mall driving a blue minivan that belonged to his brother. Just over a minute later, at 8:57:15 a.m., he stepped out and fired a 30-round burst into the air from a Norinco MAK-90 rifle. The weapon had been altered: its stock was removed and it was converted to fire automatically, a violation of the 1934 National Firearms Act. He reloaded.

At 8:57:40 a.m., he walked into the IHOP and went to the back, where he opened fire. His first victim was a 67-year-old woman, killed at her table; her husband was wounded. He then aimed at a booth where uniformed National Guardsmen were eating, right next to the elderly couple. Five of them were hit, three fatally.

Turning to another row of booths, he shot two more people, one of whom later had a leg amputated. He left the restaurant at 8:58:07 a.m., reloaded, and headed toward the parking lot. At 8:58:18 a.m., he ran up to a woman on a motorcycle and shot her in the head at close range. Her helmet took the bullet, leaving her with only a graze and saving her life.

From 8:58:26 a.m., he fired into three nearby businesses and his own minivan, hitting no one. Ralph Swagler, who owned a neighboring restaurant, grabbed his own gun and tried to shoot the attacker but could not because of the rapid fire. The gunman stopped shooting at 8:58:37 a.m., walked to his minivan, and ejected the rifle’s magazine. Between 8:58:40 and 8:58:45 a.m., he is believed to have taken a Colt Agent revolver from the van and shot himself in the head.

Police arrived at 9:06 a.m. and later found a Romarm/CUGIR GP WASR-10 rifle and a Glock 26 Gen3 pistol inside the van. Because of the massacre’s severity and fears it could spread, Nevada officials locked down the state capitol and Supreme Court buildings for about 40 minutes and added extra security at state and military buildings in northern Nevada.

Victims

Four people were killed, excluding the gunman: Florence Louise Donovan-Gunderson, 67; Nevada National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Heath A. Kelly, 35; Nevada National Guard Sgt 1st Class Miranda S. McElhiney, 31; and Nevada National Guard Master Sergeant Christian D. Riege, 38. Donovan-Gunderson, Kelly, and Riege were declared dead at the scene; McElhiney died later at a local hospital. Sencion died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound about three hours after the massacre. Seven other people survived with gunshot wounds; four were taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, three by helicopter, and three went to another hospital in Carson City for surgery. Four were in critical condition; three had minor wounds. Two surviving victims were National Guard members.

Perpetrator

Eduardo Sencion, also known as Eduardo Perez-Gonzalez, was born in Mexico on July 22, 1979, and died on September 6, 2011. He held a valid U.S. passport and had no criminal record. He worked at his family's business in South Lake Tahoe. At age eighteen, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but toxicology reports found no antipsychotic medication in his system on the day of the shooting. In January 2009, he filed for bankruptcy with over $42,000 in debt from a car, credit cards, and medical bills. Law enforcement never determined a motive. The attack was not considered terrorism, and Sencion had no military ties or known reason to target National Guardsmen.

Reaction

In response to the shooting, Nevada Senator Harry Reid expressed his sadness and offered sympathies, while praising first responders. Representatives Joe Heck and Ben Kieckhefer shared condolences online. Governor Brian Sandoval assured the public that safety measures were underway and ordered flags at half-staff until dusk Friday for the fallen National Guardsmen. Two guardsmen, Master Sergeant Christian Riege and Lieutenant Colonel Heath Kelly, were posthumously promoted.