The 1984 McDonald's Massacre: A Tragic Day in San Ysidro
The 1984 McDonald's massacre, also known as the San Ysidro McDonald's massacre, is a tragic and devastating event that occurred on July 18, 1984, in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, California. This horrific mass shooting claimed the lives of 21 people and injured 19 others. It remains one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history and a grim reminder of the potential for senseless violence in public spaces.
The Perpetrator: James Huberty
James Oliver Huberty, a 41-year-old unemployed security guard, was the perpetrator of this massacre. Huberty had a history of erratic behavior, paranoia, and violent tendencies. He believed that society was on the brink of collapse and had a growing sense of hopelessness and anger toward the world.
Huberty had a record of engaging in domestic violence, which involved frequently slapping or punching his daughters, holding knives to their throats, or beating his wife. Etna once reported to the Canton Department of Children and Family Services that her husband had caused injury to her jaw, although she later clarified that while he had assaulted her on most occasions, he only struck her once. Starting in 1976, Etna made repeated attempts to convince her husband to seek counseling to address his sources of stress, but he consistently refused any form of therapy. In an effort to calm her husband's temper, anxiety, and paranoia, and to influence and control his behavior, Etna took great care to avoid upsetting him. She also developed a method where she claimed to predict his future by interpreting playing or tarot cards, a practice that Huberty believed in. Etna's readings would temporarily soothe him, and he typically followed the recommendations she made based on these readings.
Huberty was viewed by his neighbours and colleagues as a gloomy, bad-tempered, somewhat paranoid individual, fixated on firearms and keeping track of every perceived setback, insult, or source of frustration against himself or his family.
At times, Huberty would retaliate in response to real or perceived injustices to settle what he referred to as "my debts," and his disputes with neighbors once led to his arrest on charges of disorderly conduct. On one occasion, he even encouraged his daughters to fight two girls, telling their father, "I believe in paying my debts, both good and bad."
A believer in conspiracy theories and a self-proclaimed survivalist, Huberty was convinced that an escalation of the Cold War was inevitable and that presidents Jimmy Carter and later Ronald Reagan, along with the United States government, were conspiring against him. Fearing an imminent increase in Soviet aggression and anticipating a societal breakdown through economic collapse or nuclear war, Huberty prepared himself to survive this perceived crisis by stocking his house with non-perishable food supplies and numerous guns, some acquired from colleagues, to defend his home during what he believed to be an impending apocalypse. According to a family acquaintance named Jim Aslanes, Huberty's home was filled with loaded firearms to such an extent that he could easily access a gun from wherever he was in the house, with each firearm being loaded and the safety mechanisms disabled.
A Cry for Help
On July 15, 1984, Huberty commented to his wife, Etna, that he suspected he had a mental health problem. Two days later, on the morning of July 17, he called a San Diego mental health clinic, requesting an appointment. Leaving his contact details with the receptionist, Huberty was assured the clinic would return his call within hours. According to his wife, Huberty sat quietly beside the telephone for several hours, awaiting the return call, before abruptly walking out of the family home and riding to an unknown destination on his motorcycle. Unbeknownst to Huberty, the receptionist had misspelled his name as "Shouberty." His polite demeanor conveyed no sense of urgency to the operator, and he had elaborated in the phone call that he had never been hospitalized for mental health issues; therefore, the call had been logged as a "non-crisis" inquiry, to be handled within 48 hours.
Approximately one hour later, Huberty returned home in a contented mood. After eating dinner, Huberty, his wife, and their two daughters (aged 12 and 10) cycled to a nearby park. Later that evening, he and Etna watched a film together on their television.
The Day of the Massacre
The following morning—Wednesday, July 18—Huberty, his wife, and children visited the San Diego Zoo. In the course of their walk through the zoo, Huberty told his wife of his belief that his life was effectively over. Referring to the mental health clinic's failure to return his phone call the previous day, he said, "Well, society had their chance." After eating lunch at a McDonald's restaurant in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, the Huberty family returned home.
Shortly thereafter, Huberty walked into his bedroom wearing a maroon T-shirt and green camouflage slacks as his wife lay relaxing upon their bed. He leaned toward Etna and said, "I want to kiss you goodbye." Etna kissed her husband, then asked him where he was going, stating her intention to soon prepare the family dinner. Huberty calmly replied he was "going hunting... hunting for humans."
Holding a gun across his shoulder and carrying a box of ammunition and a bundle wrapped in a checkered blanket, Huberty glanced toward his elder daughter, Zelia, as he walked toward the front door of the family home and said, "Goodbye. I won't be back."
Huberty then drove down San Ysidro Boulevard. According to eyewitnesses, he drove first toward a Big Bear supermarket and then toward a U.S. Post Office branch, before entering the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant approximately 200 yards (180 m) from his Averil Road apartment.
At approximately 3:56 PM, Huberty arrived at the McDonald's restaurant located at 460 West San Ysidro Boulevard. The restaurant was busy with customers of all ages, including many children. Without warning, Huberty began shooting indiscriminately, targeting anyone in his line of sight.
Armed with a 9mm Browning HP semi-automatic pistol, a 9mm Uzi carbine, a Winchester 1200 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, and a box and cloth bag filled with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, James Huberty entered the McDonald's restaurant, which had 45 customers inside.
Minutes after entering, Huberty aimed his shotgun at John Arnold, a 16-year-old employee, from a distance of approximately fifteen feet. Guillermo Flores, the assistant manager, shouted a warning: "Hey, John, that guy's going to shoot you!" When Huberty pulled the trigger, the gun did not fire. As Huberty inspected his weapon, Neva Caine, the restaurant's 22-year-old manager, approached the service counter. Arnold, believing it to be a joke, began walking away. Huberty then fired his shotgun at the ceiling and, subsequently, shot Caine beneath her left eye with the Uzi, killing her.
After killing Caine, Huberty turned his shotgun on Arnold, wounding him in the chest and arm. He then ordered everyone to get on the ground, calling them "dirty swine, Vietnam assholes," and claimed he had "killed a thousand" and intended to "kill a thousand more." Victor Rivera, a 25-year-old customer, attempted to dissuade Huberty from further violence, but Huberty shot him fourteen times, repeatedly shouting "shut up" as Rivera screamed in pain.
As people hid beneath tables and booths, Huberty turned his attention to a group of six women and children. He killed 19-year-old María Colmenero-Silva with a single shot to the chest, then fatally shot nine-year-old Claudia Pérez multiple times with his Uzi. He wounded Claudia's 15-year-old sister Imelda in the hand and fired upon 11-year-old Aurora Peña with his shotgun. Aurora's pregnant aunt, 18-year-old Jackie Reyes, tried to shield her; Huberty shot Reyes 48 times with the Uzi. Beside Reyes' body, her eight-month-old son Carlos wailed, prompting Huberty to shoot the infant in the back, killing him.
Huberty then killed 62-year-old trucker Laurence Versluis and targeted a family near the play area. Thirty-one-year-old Blythe Regan Herrera shielded her 11-year-old son Matao, while her husband Ronald protected Matao's friend, 12-year-old Keith Thomas. Ronald Herrera was shot multiple times but survived, while Blythe and Matao were killed by numerous gunshots to the head. Keith Thomas was wounded but survived.
Three women hiding under a booth—Guadalupe del Río, Gloria Ramírez, and Arisdelsi Vuelvas Vargas—were also attacked. Del Río was hit but not seriously wounded, Ramírez was unhurt, and Vargas was fatally shot in the back of the head. At another booth, Huberty killed 45-year-old banker Hugo Velázquez Vasquez with a single shot to the chest.
The first call to emergency services was made shortly after 4:00 p.m., reporting the shooting of a child taken to a post office on San Ysidro Boulevard. Miscommunication directed responding officers to another McDonald's two miles away, delaying the lockdown. Civilians walking, riding, or driving toward the restaurant were warned by passers-by.
Shortly after 4:00 p.m., Lydia Flores drove into the parking lot and, hearing gunfire, hid in bushes with her two-year-old daughter Melissa until the shooting ended. Around 4:05 p.m., Astolfo and Maricela Félix, along with their four-month-old daughter Karlita, drove toward the restaurant. Mistaking shattered glass for renovation work, they encountered Huberty, who shot at them. Maricela was blinded in one eye and lost use of one hand; their baby was critically wounded, and Astolfo was also wounded. All three survived after being helped to safety by passers-by.
Three 11-year-old boys rode their BMX bikes into the west parking lot, where Huberty shot them. Joshua Coleman was critically wounded but survived; his friends Omarr Alonso Hernandez and David Flores Delgado died at the scene. Huberty then targeted an elderly couple, Miguel Victoria Ulloa and Aída Velázquez Victoria, as they approached the entrance. After killing Aída and wounding Miguel, Huberty approached the doorway and fatally shot Miguel in the head.
The Police Response
Approximately ten minutes after the first emergency call, police arrived at the restaurant. Officer Miguel Rosario was the first on the scene, quickly identifying the situation and relaying this information to the San Diego Police Department as Huberty fired at his patrol car. Officers immediately established a lockdown, securing a six-block radius around the restaurant. A command post was set up two blocks away, and 175 officers were strategically deployed. Within the hour, several SWAT team members joined the effort, positioning themselves around the building.
Given Huberty's rapid firing and use of multiple firearms, police were initially uncertain about the number of shooters inside. The shattered windows caused reflections from the broken glass, further complicating their view into the restaurant. Initially, there were concerns about potential hostages, but a survivor who had escaped informed the police that there was a single gunman shooting everyone he encountered. By 5:05 p.m., all responding law enforcement personnel were authorized to kill the gunman if a clear shot was available.
Survivors later stated seeing Huberty adjust a portable radio at the service counter, possibly searching for news reports about his shooting spree before selecting a music station and continuing to shoot while dancing to the music. Shortly afterward, Huberty discovered six employees hiding in the kitchen. He shouted, "Oh, there's more. You're trying to hide from me, you bastards!" One of the female employees screamed in Spanish, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" Huberty then opened fire, killing 21-year-old Paulina López, 19-year-old Elsa Borboa-Fierro, and 18-year-old Margarita Padilla, and critically wounding 17-year-old Albert Leos. Just before the shooting, Padilla had grabbed the hand of her friend and colleague, 17-year-old Wendy Flanagan, and the two began to run. Padilla was fatally shot; Flanagan, along with four other employees and a female customer with her infant, hid in a basement utility room. Leos, after being shot five times, later crawled to the utility room to join them.
A fire engine arrived on the scene and Huberty opened fire, hitting the vehicle with bullets and slightly wounding one occupant. Upon hearing 19-year-old Jose Pérez moaning, Huberty shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Pérez died alongside his friend and neighbor, 22-year-old Gloria González, and a young woman named Michelle Carncross. At one point, Aurora Peña, who had lain wounded beside her dead aunt, baby cousin, and two friends, noticed a lull in the shooting. When she opened her eyes, she saw Huberty nearby, staring at her. He swore, threw a bag of fries at her, then retrieved his shotgun and shot the child in the arm, neck, and jaw. Aurora Peña survived but required the longest hospitalsation of any survivor.
The End of the Incident
Huberty walked from the service counter toward the doorway near the drive-in window at 5:17pm, this gave 27-year-old SWAT sniper Charles Foster—positioned on the roof of a post office directly opposite the restaurant—a clear view of his body through his telescopic sight. Foster fired a single shot from approximately 32 meters away. The bullet struck Huberty in the chest, severing his aorta just below his heart, and exited through his spine, leaving a one-square-inch exit wound. This shot caused Huberty to collapse backwards onto the floor in front of the service counter, killing him almost instantly.
Foster informed other officers that he had neutralised the gunman and that his focus remained on the motionless suspect. However, given the volume of gunfire from multiple firearms within the restaurant, police were not entirely sure the threat was over. A police sergeant entered the restaurant about a minute later, keeping his gun trained on Huberty while noting the movements of a wounded girl. When he asked if the deceased male was the shooter, the girl nodded.
Huberty fired at least 257 rounds of ammunition in the 77 minutes since he started shooting - killing 20 people and wounding as many others, one of whom was pronounced brain dead upon arrival at the hospital and died the following day. Seventeen victims were killed inside the restaurant, and four in the immediate vicinity. Only ten individuals inside the restaurant escaped uninjured—six of whom had hidden in the basement utility room.
Several victims attempted to tend their own wounds using napkins, often in vain. Of the fatalities, 13 died from gunshot wounds to the head, seven from shots to the chest, and one victim, eight-month-old Carlos Reyes, from a single 9mm gunshot to the back. The victims, aged between four months and 74 years, were predominantly of Mexican or Mexican-American ancestry.
Huberty had shouted accusations and insults before shooting several of his victims, at one point declaring that he did not deserve to live but was taking care of this himself. Despite repeatedly claiming to be a Vietnam War veteran during the shooting spree, Huberty had never served in any military branch.
Initial reports from the San Diego Police Department indicated that everyone injured or killed within the restaurant had been shot by Huberty in the first few minutes after he entered. This was contested by survivors, who stated that Huberty continued to shoot both wounded and unwounded people for over 40 minutes after he initially started shooting.
Aftermath of the Massacre
The following day after the massacre, reporters visited James Huberty's father, Earl Huberty, seeking more information about his son. Earl shared details about James's childhood and the family's religious background before pointing to a painting of a lost sheep by the Jordan River. Overcome with emotion, he began to weep and said,
"Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I feel so sorry for those people."
In response to the tragedy, McDonald's temporarily halted all television and radio advertisements. In a show of solidarity, rival fast food chain Burger King also suspended its advertising.
James Huberty's body was cremated on July 23, 1984, with no official religious service. His ashes were returned to his widow and later interred in Ohio.
Following the massacre, Huberty's wife and daughters received numerous death threats, forcing them to stay temporarily with a family friend. They attended counseling sessions for over nine months. Etna Huberty and her daughters initially moved from San Ysidro to Chula Vista, where Zelia and Cassandra enrolled in school under assumed names. A year later, the family relocated to Spring Valley in San Diego County.
Due to the number of victims, local funeral homes had to use the local Civic Center to hold wakes for each victim. Mount Carmel Church held back-to-back funeral masses to ensure timely burials.
Many police officers who responded to the massacre experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including sleep withdrawal, memory loss, and guilt. A 1985 study by the National Institute of Mental Health and the San Diego Police Department's chief psychologist confirmed that several officers suffered from PTSD as a result of the incident.
San Diego was prompted by the massacre to reassess its tactical response methods and the firearms used by officers. The police department increased training for special units and acquired more powerful firearms. One officer expressed feeling "inadequate" with his .38-caliber revolver during the massacre, emphasising the need for a well-equipped, highly trained team able to respond rapidly anywhere in the city.
San Diego Police Chief William Kolendar held a press conference on the 2nd of August to discuss the department's response to the massacre, noting that 73 minutes had elapsed between the first officer's arrival and Huberty's death. The internal inquiry found that despite rush-hour traffic delaying the SWAT team's arrival, the police response was appropriate. Kolendar dismissed suggestions that officers should have stormed the restaurant, explaining that shattered windows obstructed their view. He emphasized that the eight-minute delay between authorizing officers to kill Huberty and his death did not affect the final death toll. Kolendar concluded, "I believe the operation was handled the way it should have been handled." He also dismissed any racial motive behind Huberty's actions, stating, "He didn't like anybody."
Two days after the massacre, the McDonald's restaurant was refurbished and renovated. However, after discussions between community leaders and McDonald's executives, the decision was made not to reopen it. The renovated restaurant was demolished on September 26. McDonald's donated the land to the city with the stipulation that no restaurant be built on the site. After considering alternate plans for over four years, the land was sold to Southwestern College in February 1988 for $136,000. A 300-square-foot area in front of the college campus extension was designated as a permanent memorial to the 21 victims.
McDonald's later built another restaurant two blocks from the massacre site on West San Ysidro Boulevard. The company also pledged $1 million to a survivors' fund, with the widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc adding a personal contribution of $100,000 for burial costs, financial aid for the deceased's relatives, and counseling for survivors. The fund ultimately received over $1.4 million in donations.
Despite protests from some San Ysidro residents and donors, Etna Huberty received the first payout from the survivors' fund.
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