2017 Plano shooting

2017 Plano shooting
Location Plano, Texas
Date September 10, 2017 (2017-09-10)
8 p.m. (CDT)
Attack type
 Mass shooting
Weapons
Deaths 9 (including the perpetrator)
Non-fatal injuries
 1
Perpetrator Spencer Hight

A mass shooting occurred at a home in Plano, Texas, on September 10, 2017. A gunman killed eight people in the home, and the suspect was later killed by police.

Background

Spencer Hight and Meredith Lane met while students at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD); Lane previously attended a tertiary institution in the State of Georgia before transferring to UTD.[1] The couple married in May 2011.[2][3] The house in which the shooting occurred had been purchased by the Hights in 2015. The couple had no children. After the shooting, Lane's mother stated that there was a violent episode where Hight had slammed her daughter's head against a wall, and that she had not reported it to the police.[3]

Hight had lost his contracting job at Texas Instruments near when the house was purchased.[1]

The couple stopped living together in March, and Meredith filed for divorce in July citing “discord or conflict of personalities".[2][4] Meredith Hight's mother claims that her daughter wanted the divorce since her husband was physically abusive and an alcoholic. She says her daughter had tried helping him for two years before filing the divorce.[5]

Plano had once been named one of the "safest cities in America".[6]

Friends of Spencer Hight reported that before the shooting, he was unable to find work, had become isolated, and was drinking alcohol heavily.[7]

Shooting

People inside the home at the time of shooting said a Dallas Cowboys watching party was being held at the house.[8] Meredith Lane, the owner of the house, was hosting a party for coworkers and friends.[9]

At around 8 p.m. officers were called to a home on West Spring Creek Parkway after reports of 30 to 40 shots being fired.[10] Police entered the home and shot and killed the gunman. Inside police found nine adults with gunshot wounds. Seven were dead and two others were transported to a local hospital. One of the injured later died.[4][6] Police say the shooter and all of the victims were adults.[11][12] They were in their twenties and thirties.[5] Two of the victims had participated in Hight and Lane's wedding. James Richard Dunlop had been best man, and Rion Christopher Morgan had been a groomsman.[13]

Shooter was identified as Spencer Hight and the apparent target of the shooting was his wife Meredith.[4] Spencer Hight was killed by police following the shooting.

Plano Police Chief Greg W. Rushin said: “We’ve never had a shooting of this magnitude; never had this many victims.”[9]

Afterwards

The Junior League of Collin County organized a vigil for the victims of the attack ten days afterwards.[14]

The family of Spencer Hight released a statement, which said in part: "“There can be no rational excuse for his horrific actions. We, as a family, express our deepest sorrow and condolences to all of the families and friends of the victims. These young, vibrant lives did not deserve to be taken."[15]

The police investigation may take months to complete, as they are considering each murder a separate case.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Light, Nanette; Julieta Chiquillo; Valerie Wigglesworth (September 12, 2017). "Couple's marriage unraveled long before husband killed wife and friends in Plano mass shooting". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Cowboys Cookout/Watch Party Ends With 8 Dead In Plano". CBSDFW.com. September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Inside the Dallas Cowboys party massacre". Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Chiquillo, Julieta. "Slain Plano woman's estranged husband went on rampage that killed 8 at party, her mother says". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Few Answers As Investigation Into Plano Mass Murder Continues". Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  6. 1 2 TEGNA. "9th person dead in Plano shooting; mom blames daughter's ex". WFAA. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Friends: Man who killed 8 at Plano football-watching party became increasingly isolated". KTXS. September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Reports: Deadly shooting of 8 in Plano, Texas". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Friends Remember Victims Of Plano Mass Shooting: 'Full Of Love'". Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Nine people died in Texas shooting, including shooter". Reuters. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "8 People Killed Inside a Plano Home: Suspect Killed by Police". nbcdfw.com. NBC. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  12. ↑ "8 dead, including a suspect, in shooting at a Plano home". WFAA. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Texas gunman killed ex-wife and friends". BBC News. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ TEGNA. "Vigil for Plano shooting victims anchored by domestic violence stakeholders". WFAA. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  15. 1 2 FOX. "Family of Plano gunman: no excuse for his horrific actions". KDFW. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
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