The Disturbing Incident At Chuck E. Cheese In 1994

On December 14, 1993, a tragic mass shooting took place at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. Four employees—Sylvia Crowell, Ben Grant, Margaret Kohlberg, and Colleen O'Connor—were killed, and a fifth employee, Bobby Stephens, was seriously injured. The perpetrator, 19-year-old former employee Nathan Dunlap, was frustrated about being fired from the restaurant five months prior and sought revenge. Dunlap was arrested and found guilty of multiple charges, including first-degree murder, and was initially sentenced to death. However, in 2020, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished capital punishment.

Four employees were killed

On the evening of December 14, 1993, four employees were killed by Nathan Dunlap, a former employee of Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado. 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, fired from a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Dunlap, who was 19 years old at the time of the shooting, had been fired from the restaurant over the summer after arguing with a kitchen manager over work hours. Authorities said he took police to a gym bag outside a building near his mother's home, which contained a semi-automatic handgun, six rounds of ammunition, and a pair of gloves.

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. He first shot Sylvia Crowell, who was cleaning the salad bar, from close range in the right ear, mortally wounding her. Ben Grant was fatally shot near the left eye as he was vacuuming. Colleen O'Connor was fatally shot once through the temple.

Dunlap then forced Margaret Kohlberg, the store manager, to unlock the safe. After she opened it, he 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. Kohlberg was the manager who had fired Dunlap, and she was not present at the restaurant at the time of the shooting.

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 about 12 hours later.

One employee was injured

On December 14, 1993, a shooting took place at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. Four employees were killed, and a fifth employee, 20-year-old Bobby Stephens, was seriously injured. 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 entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played an arcade game. At around 9:50 p.m., he hid in one of the restaurant's restrooms. After the restaurant closed at 10:05 p.m., Dunlap exited the restroom and began shooting employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Stephens, who had been outside taking a smoke break, re-entered the restaurant and was shot in the jaw by Dunlap. He fell to the floor and played dead, tricking Dunlap into leaving him alive. Stephens then escaped through a back door and sought help at a nearby apartment complex. He was hospitalized at Denver General Hospital in fair condition.

Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment about 12 hours after the shooting. He was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and burglary. Initially sentenced to death, Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The perpetrator was a former employee

On December 14, 1993, a former employee of Chuck E. Cheese's in Aurora, Colorado, opened fire on the staff, killing four and injuring one. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, had been fired from the restaurant five months prior to the shooting and sought revenge.

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, near the left eye as he was vacuuming, and Colleen O'Connor, 17, through the temple. Bobby Stephens, 20, the lone survivor, had been on a smoke break and was shot in the jaw upon returning to the restaurant. Dunlap then forced the store manager, Marge Kohlberg, 50, to unlock the safe. After she opened it, he shot her twice, took the cash, and fled the scene.

Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. During the trial, prosecutors said the gunman was seeking revenge after being fired from his job as a cook. Dunlap's attorney argued that Dunlap had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime, and his attitude had changed since being medicated in prison. Dunlap was convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, theft, and burglary. He was initially sentenced to death but was later commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty in 2020.

The perpetrator was 19 years old

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap entered a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, armed with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. He had been fired from the restaurant five months prior and was seeking revenge.

Dunlap ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and played an arcade game before hiding in a restroom at about 9:50 p.m. He exited the restroom after closing at 10:05 p.m. and shot five employees. Four of them—Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret Kohlberg, 50—were killed. The fifth employee, 20-year-old Bobby Stephens, survived after being shot in the jaw.

Dunlap then forced Kohlberg to open the safe and fled the scene with $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens. 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. He was initially sentenced to death but this was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 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 shooting. Seeking revenge, he entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played an arcade game. At about 9:50 p.m., he hid in a restroom and waited for closing time. After the restaurant closed at 10:05 p.m., Dunlap emerged from the restroom and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Four employees, Sylvia Crowell, Ben Grant, Colleen O'Connor, and Margaret Kohlberg, were killed, and a fifth employee, Bobby Stephens, was seriously injured but survived by playing dead. Dunlap then forced Kohlberg to open the safe and took $1,500 worth of cash and game tokens before fleeing the scene.

Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment about 12 hours later. During the trial, Dunlap's attorney argued that Dunlap had undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time of the crime. In 1996, Dunlap was convicted by a jury of multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, theft, and burglary. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole.

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