Brenda Ann Spencer
Brenda Ann Spencer was born on April 3, 1962. For Christmas 1978 her father, Wallace, had given her a .22 rifle as a present. A month later, on January 29, 1979, she achieved infamy when she began shooting at her school, Grover Cleveland Elementary in San Diego from her home, located across the street. Spencer shot principal Burton Wragg, 53, as he was trying to protect the children. Head custodian Mike Suchar, 56, died as he tried to help Mr. Wragg. In all, Spencer killed two and wounded eight children and a policeman.
Twenty minutes after the shooting began; police surrounded the Spencer home and laid siege to it for more than six hours. When Brenda gave herself up, she was asked whom she wanted to shoot and replied, “I like red and blue jackets.” When asked why, she said, “I don’t like Mondays. This Livens up the day…I had no reason for it, and it was just lots of fun…it was just like shooting ducks in a pond…[the children] looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings.” Spencer pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life. After being turned down for parole in 2005 she claimed that at the time of the shooting she had been drunk and on PCP. She also claimed that she had been sexually abused by her father. Her comment about not liking Mondays inspired Bob Geldof to write the number one Boomtown Rats song of the same name.
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