The Disturbing Truth Behind Chuck E. Cheese's Incident

On December 14, 1993, a mass shooting took place at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of four employees and serious injury to a fifth. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months prior and sought revenge. This incident, known as the Chuck E. Cheese Massacre, was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time.

The perpetrator: 19-year-old former employee Nathan Dunlap

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap entered a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, where he had been fired as a cook five months prior. He ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, played an arcade game, and hid in a restroom. After closing, Dunlap exited the restroom and shot five employees with a ..25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, killing four and injuring one. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Marge Kohlberg, 50. The lone survivor, Bobby Stephens, was shot in the jaw but managed to escape and alert the police. Dunlap then forced Kohlberg to open the safe and fled the scene with $1,500 in cash and game tokens.

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, and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, after Colorado abolished the death penalty, Dunlap's sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole.

Dunlap had a troubled past, with a history of mental health issues, suicide attempts, and violent crimes. He had previously spent time in a juvenile detention center and a psychiatric hospital, and had been arrested multiple times before the Chuck E. Cheese incident.

The victims: Sylvia Crowell, Ben Grant, Colleen O'Connor, Bobby Stephens, and Marge Kohlberg

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Sylvia Crowell was working at Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, when Nathan Dunlap entered the premises. Dunlap, a former employee of the restaurant, had been fired five months prior and was seeking revenge. After ordering a ham and cheese sandwich and playing an arcade game, Dunlap hid in the restroom. At closing time, he exited and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Sylvia Crowell, 19, was the first to be shot. She was cleaning the salad bar when she was hit from close range in the right ear and mortally wounded. She was taken to Denver General Hospital, where she was declared brain dead. She died from her injuries the following day at Aurora Regional Medical Center.

Ben Grant, 17, was the second person to be fatally shot by Dunlap. He was vacuuming when he was shot near the left eye.

Colleen O'Connor, 17, was also fatally shot once through the temple.

Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor of the shooting. He had been on a smoke break outside when he heard noises coming from inside the restaurant. Thinking that children were popping balloons, he returned to the restaurant and began unloading utensils into the dishwasher. As he did so, Dunlap came through the kitchen door, raised his handgun, and fired a shot that struck Stephens in the jaw. Stephens fell to the floor and played dead. He then escaped through a back door and walked to the nearby Mill Pond apartment complex, where he alerted someone that he and others had been shot. Stephens was hospitalized at Denver General Hospital in fair condition.

Marge Kohlberg, 50, was the store manager. After forcing her to unlock the safe, Dunlap shot her in the ear. As he was taking the cash out of the safe, he noticed that Kohlberg was still moving and fired a second fatal shot through her other ear. The manager who had fired Dunlap was not present at the restaurant.

The motive: Revenge for being fired five months prior

On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap entered a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora, Colorado, and opened fire, killing four employees and injuring a fifth. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Margaret Kohlberg, 50, and Colleen O'Connor, 17. All five individuals were shot in the head, with Bobby Stephens, 20, the lone survivor, being shot in the jaw. Dunlap had been fired from the restaurant five months prior to the shooting and his motive was believed to be revenge for this incident.

Dunlap had a history of mental health issues and had previously been incarcerated for armed robberies committed when he was 15 years old. He had also been arrested multiple times on misdemeanour charges in 1993. Acquaintances of Dunlap recalled that he was frustrated and angry about being fired and had expressed a desire for "revenge". On the day of the shooting, Dunlap entered the restaurant, ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, and played arcade games before hiding in the restroom. After closing, he emerged and began shooting employees. He then forced the store manager to open the safe and fled with $1,500 in cash and game tokens.

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

The weapon: A calibre semi-automatic pistol

The weapon used in the Chuck E. Cheese incident was a *.25-caliber semi-automatic pistol. This type of firearm is designed to automatically load and fire the next round of ammunition after each shot, allowing for rapid and continuous firing. Semi-automatic pistols are typically compact and designed for personal protection, target shooting, and competitive shooting.

The .25-caliber designation refers to the internal diameter of the pistol's barrel, which is approximately .25 inches or 6.35 millimetres. This calibre is considered relatively small compared to other pistol calibres, and as such, the pistol would have had a relatively low recoil, making it easier to control and fire accurately. However, the small calibre also means that the pistol would have had limited stopping power and effective range.

The pistol used in the Chuck E. Cheese incident was likely a compact, lightweight weapon that could be easily concealed. It would have had a magazine that held several rounds of ammunition, and the pistol would have automatically loaded and fired each round as the trigger was pulled. The pistol was likely designed for self-defence or concealed carry, and its small calibre and concealability made it a popular choice for those seeking a discreet and easily manageable firearm.

The use of a semi-automatic pistol in the Chuck E. Cheese incident highlights the accessibility and lethality of such weapons. The rapid firing capability and ease of use of semi-automatic pistols have made them a weapon of choice in many mass shootings and crimes. The .25-caliber pistol used in the Chuck E. Cheese incident was able to inflict fatal injuries on four individuals and seriously injure a fifth, demonstrating the deadly force that can be delivered by these types of firearms.

The aftermath: Dunlap was sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison without parole

On May 17, 1996, Nathan Dunlap was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Dunlap's execution date was initially set for mid-August 2013. However, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a temporary reprieve, postponing the execution. Hickenlooper's decision was met with criticism, particularly from victims' relatives, as it blocked Dunlap's execution for as long as he remained governor.

In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty, and the new governor, Jared Polis, commuted Dunlap's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Polis's decision was based on the current law in Colorado, rather than any moral or ethical commentary on the death penalty.

Dunlap remains incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The Chuck E. Cheese Massacre, as it became known, was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time, until the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

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