In the immediate aftermath of the Mass Shooting at Tops Friendly Markets, and as families prepare to say their final goodbyes to their loved ones; it seems almost bizarre that almost 22 years ago, Buffalo NY experienced another racially motivated tragedy dubbed the ".22 Caliber Killer" that has some similarities.
Joseph Gerard Christopher of Buffalo, New York, who had paranoid schizophrenia, reached out for assistance after noticing his mental health slipping in 1978. He tried to admit himself to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center in September 1980. The Psychiatric Center staff told him he was not a danger to himself or others and so could not be admitted. Fourteen days after he left the center, the killings began.
Christopher's murder spree began on September 22, 1980, when he killed three black men and one boy in the space of 36 hours with a .22 caliber sawed-off Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic rifle concealed in a brown paper bag. These murders led to the media epithet of the .22-Caliber Killer.
The murder spree resulted in the deaths of 12 victims in the Buffalo Area.
Name Age Date Location Method Result
Glenn Dunn 14 9-22-1980 Buffalo, NY Shot Killed
Harold Green 32 9-23-1980 Cheektowaga, Shot Killed
Emmanuel Thomas 30 9-23-1980 Buffalo, NY Shot Killed
Joseph McCoy 43 9-24-1980 Niagara Falls, NY Shot Killed
Parler Edwards 71 10-8-1980 Amherst, NY Bludgeoned Killed
Ernest Jones 40 10-9-1980 Tonawanda Bludgeoned Killed
Collin Cole 37 10-10-1980 Buffalo Strangled Survived
Roger Adams 31 12-29-1980 Buffalo, NY Stabbed Killed Albert Menefee 32 12-31-1980 Buffalo, NY Stabbed Survived
Larry Little 1-1-1981 Buffalo, NY Stabbed Survived
Calvin Crippen 23 1-1-1981 Buffalo, NY Stabbed Survived
Additionally, Christopher also murdered and / or injured African American Males in Manhattan NY and Fort Benning GA. He was sentenced to Life In Prison and eventually died in prison due to a rare form of male breast cancer on March 1, 1993, at the age of 37.
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