The Disturbing Incident At Chuck E. Cheese In 1994

On December 14, 1993, a mass shooting took place at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. The perpetrator, 19-year-old former employee Nathan Dunlap, killed four employees and injured a fifth while they were cleaning up after closing. Dunlap was frustrated about being fired from the restaurant five months prior and sought revenge. He was arrested 12 hours later and was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges.

Four employees were killed

On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months prior to the shooting. Seeking revenge, Dunlap hid in the restaurant's restroom before emerging after closing time and shooting five employees.

Dunlap first shot Sylvia Crowell, 19, who was cleaning the salad bar. He then fatally shot Ben Grant, 17, near the left eye as he was vacuuming. Colleen O'Connor, 17, was also fatally shot once through the temple. Bobby Stephens, 20, the lone survivor of the shooting, had been on a smoke break outside and was shot in the jaw by Dunlap as he walked back into the restaurant.

Dunlap then forced the store manager, Marge Kohlberg, 50, to unlock the safe. After she opened it, Dunlap shot her in the ear. Noticing that she was still moving, he fired a second fatal shot through her other ear as he was taking the cash out of the safe. Kohlberg was the manager who had fired Dunlap over the summer after an argument about work hours.

Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens he stole from inside the restaurant. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. During the trial, Dunlap's attorney argued that Dunlap had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime. Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary in 1996 and was initially sentenced to death. However, in 2020, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

One employee was injured

On the evening of December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four employees of an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese's while they cleaned up the restaurant after hours. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Margaret Kohlberg, 50, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. All died from gunshots to the head.

Dunlap, who was fired from the restaurant over the summer, hid in a restroom inside the restaurant and emerged after closing. He then shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. One employee, Bobby Stephens, was injured but survived by playing dead.

Dunlap was arrested about 12 hours later on December 15, 1993, for investigation of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He was later formally charged and convicted of the murders.

The perpetrator was a former employee

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap entered a Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado, armed with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Dunlap, a former employee of the restaurant, had been frustrated about being fired five months prior to the shooting and sought revenge by committing the attack.

Dunlap hid in a restroom at about 9:50 p.m. and exited after closing at 10:05 p.m. He then shot five employees, killing four of them. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Margaret Kohlberg, 50, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. They all died from gunshots to the head. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting. He had been shot in the jaw but managed to escape by playing dead.

Dunlap then forced Kohlberg, the store manager, to unlock the safe. After she opened it, Dunlap shot her in the ear. As he was taking the cash out of the safe, Dunlap fired a second fatal shot through Kohlberg's other ear after he noticed she was still moving. He fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens he stole from inside the restaurant.

Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. He was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary in 1996. On May 17 of that year, Dunlap was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The perpetrator was 19 years old

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap shot and killed four employees and seriously injured a fifth at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. The perpetrator, who was a former employee of the restaurant, was frustrated about being fired five months prior to the shooting and sought revenge by committing the attack.

Dunlap entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m. and hid in a restroom at about 9:50 p.m. He exited the restroom after closing at 10:05 p.m. and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Dunlap first shot Sylvia Crowell, 19, who was cleaning the salad bar. He then fatally shot Ben Grant, 17, who was vacuuming, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. Bobby Stephens, 20, the lone survivor of the shooting, had been on a smoke break outside and was shot in the jaw by Dunlap as he walked back into the restaurant.

Dunlap then forced Marge Kohlberg, 50, the store manager, to unlock the safe. After she opened it, Dunlap shot her in the ear. As he was taking the cash out of the safe, Dunlap fired a second fatal shot through Kohlberg's other ear after he noticed she was still moving. Dunlap fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens he stole from inside the restaurant. He was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later.

Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary in 1996. On May 17 of that year, he was sentenced to death and an additional 108 years. During his sentencing, he swore repeatedly in an outburst that lasted for three minutes. In 2020, Dunlap's death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The perpetrator was sentenced to death

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap was frustrated about being fired from his job at Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado, five months prior to the incident. He sought revenge by hiding in the restaurant's bathroom and, after closing, he shot and killed four employees and seriously injured a fifth. Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment 12 hours later and was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1996.

During his trial, Dunlap's attorney argued that he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime. In 2008, Dunlap filed a habeas corpus petition, arguing that his trial attorney was ineffective by not presenting a defense on his mental health issues and child abuse. This appeal was rejected.

In 2013, Dunlap's execution was put on hold as Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper decided against executing him or granting him clemency, instead signing a "temporary reprieve". This reprieve meant that as long as Hickenlooper was governor, Dunlap was unlikely to be executed. In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty and Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole.

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