A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders

Description

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman ascended the University of Texas Tower and committed what was then the largest simultaneous mass murder in American history. He gunned down forty-five people inside and around the Tower before he was killed by two Austin police officers. In addition to promoting the rise of S.W.A.T. teams to respond to future crises, the murders spawned debates over issues which still plague America today: domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse, military indoctrination, the insanity defense, and the delicate balance between civil liberties and public safety. TABLE OF CONTENTS Prologue: Weathered Metal Plaques 1: Two Very Different Upbringings 2: The Soldier and the Teacher 3: Austin Is Different 4: The Nice Facade 5: Oozing with Hostility 6: After Much Thought 7: The Neat Little House and the Swank Apartment 8: The Glass-Paneled Door 9: Strange Noises 10: Houston 11: Ramiro 12: The General 13: Independent Actions 14: The White Headband 15: To Whom It May Concern 16: APD 17: Why Did He Do It? 18: Who Killed Charles Whitman Epilogue: The Writer from Austin Notes on Sources Acknowledgments Index