SAN DIEGO, July 18 (UPI) -- Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of a shooting spree at a San Diego McDonald's that became one of the worst mass murders in United States history.
A low-key ceremony was held last Thursday at the college building that now stands on the near the Mexican border where James Huberty killed 21 people and injured 19 on July 18, 1984.
The incident became known locally as "The McDonald's Massacre" and was the deadliest single-day killing spree in U.S. history until 1991 when George Hennard shot 22 people to death at a restaurant in Killen, Texas.
Police never found a specific motive for Huberty's rampage, although his widow, Etna, told UPI in 1985 that she suspected he had been exposed to heavy metals while working as a welder in Ohio.
Private laboratory tests performed by Dr. William Walsh confirmed that hair samples taken at Huberty's autopsy contained high levels of lead and cadmium, which are believed to trigger rage.
