Cleveland Elementary School shooting

1979 CE.

Shown on the map at 32.796°, -117.012°.

The Cleveland Elementary School shooting took place on January 29, 1979, at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, United States. This is considered the first mass shooting at an elementary school in United States history. The principal and a custodian were killed; eight children and a police officer were wounded. Brenda Spencer, a 16-year-old girl who lived in a house across the street from the school, was convicted of the shootings. Charged as an adult, she pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after 25 years. As of 2026, she remains imprisoned after repeatedly been denied parole.

Text from the Wikipedia article Cleveland Elementary School shooting (San Diego), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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