One of the six victims of the Heritage Building Massacre by Edwin Grace in Cherry Hill, NJ on June 21st, 1972.
CHERRY HILL. N J. (UPI)- A private guard described by his neighbors as a quiet churchgoer went berserk in an office building Wednesday and shot 12 men, six fatally, before wounding himself in the head. The gunman, identified as Edwin Grace, 32, a Pinkerton guard from New York City, seemed deliberately to avoid firing at the women he encountered during the 15-minute shooting spree which turned the normally quiet office building into a slaughterhouse. Grace, under heavy guard at Cherry Hill Hospital where his condition was called “critical,” entered the Heritage Building at about 2:30 p m., carrying two sawed-off .22 caliber rifles. Police said he roamed from office to office, shooting only men. Some were shot at their desks, others were gunned down in the halls. "I looked out the door and I saw him standing in the hall reloading his gun,” said James Slimmer, who was wounded. “All I saw was the gun and his eyes. I slammed the door and held it shut.” Slimmer said he was shot through the door "I was holding my thumb over the wound with one hand and doing my damndest to keep the door closed with the other. He shot a few more times and then he left.” On the tree-lined street in Brooklyn where Grace lived when at home, neighbors said Grace “was always so quiet.” “I’m totally dumbfounded by the whole incident," said Louis Zone. "It came to me as a total surprise. He was a quiet young man ” Zone’s wife said that Grace was “a fine kid and quite a churchgoer,” Ralph Bosco, 51, of Rank Associates on the first floor of the Heritage Building, said he dialed the operator to call police but was told, “1 am sorry sir, you’ll have to call 411 information " While he argued with the operator, another man in the office called police. “We found many of the doors in the offices locked," said Public Safely Director Wally Peters. He said five or six women had locked themselves in one office and another woman was found hiding under a desk in another office A tan Volkswagen with New York license plates was discovered in a parking lot behind the building and was believed to be the suspect’s car Inside the car police found a Pinkerton security guard's badge on the front seal The six men killed were identified as Robert Bartone. 22. of Delanco, N.J ; Joseph A DePalma. 44, and Charles Merkel. 37. both of Cherry Hill; Theodore G Hall. 38, of Willingboro; Stephen B Robinson. 42, of Cinnaminson; and Joseph Bovd, 48, of Morristown Taken to Cherry Hill Medical Center in critical condition were: Wayne Stoup, of Cherry Hill; Maynard Bell of Marlton; Val Risco of Groveville; and Gary Davis of Moorestown Injured slightly were Charles Collins, 24, of Pennsauken; and Walter Wilks. 46, of Levittown, Pa A 13th man, Walter Wilks. 46. of Levittown, fractured his arm when he jumped out a window to escape the killer
CHERRY HILL. N J. (UPI)- A private guard described by his neighbors as a quiet churchgoer went berserk in an office building Wednesday and shot 12 men, six fatally, before wounding himself in the head. The gunman, identified as Edwin Grace, 32, a Pinkerton guard from New York City, seemed deliberately to avoid firing at the women he encountered during the 15-minute shooting spree which turned the normally quiet office building into a slaughterhouse. Grace, under heavy guard at Cherry Hill Hospital where his condition was called “critical,” entered the Heritage Building at about 2:30 p m., carrying two sawed-off .22 caliber rifles. Police said he roamed from office to office, shooting only men. Some were shot at their desks, others were gunned down in the halls. "I looked out the door and I saw him standing in the hall reloading his gun,” said James Slimmer, who was wounded. “All I saw was the gun and his eyes. I slammed the door and held it shut.” Slimmer said he was shot through the door "I was holding my thumb over the wound with one hand and doing my damndest to keep the door closed with the other. He shot a few more times and then he left.” On the tree-lined street in Brooklyn where Grace lived when at home, neighbors said Grace “was always so quiet.” “I’m totally dumbfounded by the whole incident," said Louis Zone. "It came to me as a total surprise. He was a quiet young man ” Zone’s wife said that Grace was “a fine kid and quite a churchgoer,” Ralph Bosco, 51, of Rank Associates on the first floor of the Heritage Building, said he dialed the operator to call police but was told, “1 am sorry sir, you’ll have to call 411 information " While he argued with the operator, another man in the office called police. “We found many of the doors in the offices locked," said Public Safely Director Wally Peters. He said five or six women had locked themselves in one office and another woman was found hiding under a desk in another office A tan Volkswagen with New York license plates was discovered in a parking lot behind the building and was believed to be the suspect’s car Inside the car police found a Pinkerton security guard's badge on the front seal The six men killed were identified as Robert Bartone. 22. of Delanco, N.J ; Joseph A DePalma. 44, and Charles Merkel. 37. both of Cherry Hill; Theodore G Hall. 38, of Willingboro; Stephen B Robinson. 42, of Cinnaminson; and Joseph Bovd, 48, of Morristown Taken to Cherry Hill Medical Center in critical condition were: Wayne Stoup, of Cherry Hill; Maynard Bell of Marlton; Val Risco of Groveville; and Gary Davis of Moorestown Injured slightly were Charles Collins, 24, of Pennsauken; and Walter Wilks. 46, of Levittown, Pa A 13th man, Walter Wilks. 46. of Levittown, fractured his arm when he jumped out a window to escape the killer
One of the six victims of the Heritage Building Massacre by Edwin Grace in Cherry Hill, NJ on June 21st, 1972.
CHERRY HILL. N J. (UPI)- A private guard described by his neighbors as a quiet churchgoer went berserk in an office building Wednesday and shot 12 men, six fatally, before wounding himself in the head. The gunman, identified as Edwin Grace, 32, a Pinkerton guard from New York City, seemed deliberately to avoid firing at the women he encountered during the 15-minute shooting spree which turned the normally quiet office building into a slaughterhouse. Grace, under heavy guard at Cherry Hill Hospital where his condition was called “critical,” entered the Heritage Building at about 2:30 p m., carrying two sawed-off .22 caliber rifles. Police said he roamed from office to office, shooting only men. Some were shot at their desks, others were gunned down in the halls. "I looked out the door and I saw him standing in the hall reloading his gun,” said James Slimmer, who was wounded. “All I saw was the gun and his eyes. I slammed the door and held it shut.” Slimmer said he was shot through the door "I was holding my thumb over the wound with one hand and doing my damndest to keep the door closed with the other. He shot a few more times and then he left.” On the tree-lined street in Brooklyn where Grace lived when at home, neighbors said Grace “was always so quiet.” “I’m totally dumbfounded by the whole incident," said Louis Zone. "It came to me as a total surprise. He was a quiet young man ” Zone’s wife said that Grace was “a fine kid and quite a churchgoer,” Ralph Bosco, 51, of Rank Associates on the first floor of the Heritage Building, said he dialed the operator to call police but was told, “1 am sorry sir, you’ll have to call 411 information " While he argued with the operator, another man in the office called police. “We found many of the doors in the offices locked," said Public Safely Director Wally Peters. He said five or six women had locked themselves in one office and another woman was found hiding under a desk in another office A tan Volkswagen with New York license plates was discovered in a parking lot behind the building and was believed to be the suspect’s car Inside the car police found a Pinkerton security guard's badge on the front seal The six men killed were identified as Robert Bartone. 22. of Delanco, N.J ; Joseph A DePalma. 44, and Charles Merkel. 37. both of Cherry Hill; Theodore G Hall. 38, of Willingboro; Stephen B Robinson. 42, of Cinnaminson; and Joseph Bovd, 48, of Morristown Taken to Cherry Hill Medical Center in critical condition were: Wayne Stoup, of Cherry Hill; Maynard Bell of Marlton; Val Risco of Groveville; and Gary Davis of Moorestown Injured slightly were Charles Collins, 24, of Pennsauken; and Walter Wilks. 46, of Levittown, Pa A 13th man, Walter Wilks. 46. of Levittown, fractured his arm when he jumped out a window to escape the killer
CHERRY HILL. N J. (UPI)- A private guard described by his neighbors as a quiet churchgoer went berserk in an office building Wednesday and shot 12 men, six fatally, before wounding himself in the head. The gunman, identified as Edwin Grace, 32, a Pinkerton guard from New York City, seemed deliberately to avoid firing at the women he encountered during the 15-minute shooting spree which turned the normally quiet office building into a slaughterhouse. Grace, under heavy guard at Cherry Hill Hospital where his condition was called “critical,” entered the Heritage Building at about 2:30 p m., carrying two sawed-off .22 caliber rifles. Police said he roamed from office to office, shooting only men. Some were shot at their desks, others were gunned down in the halls. "I looked out the door and I saw him standing in the hall reloading his gun,” said James Slimmer, who was wounded. “All I saw was the gun and his eyes. I slammed the door and held it shut.” Slimmer said he was shot through the door "I was holding my thumb over the wound with one hand and doing my damndest to keep the door closed with the other. He shot a few more times and then he left.” On the tree-lined street in Brooklyn where Grace lived when at home, neighbors said Grace “was always so quiet.” “I’m totally dumbfounded by the whole incident," said Louis Zone. "It came to me as a total surprise. He was a quiet young man ” Zone’s wife said that Grace was “a fine kid and quite a churchgoer,” Ralph Bosco, 51, of Rank Associates on the first floor of the Heritage Building, said he dialed the operator to call police but was told, “1 am sorry sir, you’ll have to call 411 information " While he argued with the operator, another man in the office called police. “We found many of the doors in the offices locked," said Public Safely Director Wally Peters. He said five or six women had locked themselves in one office and another woman was found hiding under a desk in another office A tan Volkswagen with New York license plates was discovered in a parking lot behind the building and was believed to be the suspect’s car Inside the car police found a Pinkerton security guard's badge on the front seal The six men killed were identified as Robert Bartone. 22. of Delanco, N.J ; Joseph A DePalma. 44, and Charles Merkel. 37. both of Cherry Hill; Theodore G Hall. 38, of Willingboro; Stephen B Robinson. 42, of Cinnaminson; and Joseph Bovd, 48, of Morristown Taken to Cherry Hill Medical Center in critical condition were: Wayne Stoup, of Cherry Hill; Maynard Bell of Marlton; Val Risco of Groveville; and Gary Davis of Moorestown Injured slightly were Charles Collins, 24, of Pennsauken; and Walter Wilks. 46, of Levittown, Pa A 13th man, Walter Wilks. 46. of Levittown, fractured his arm when he jumped out a window to escape the killer
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