1940 South Pasadena shootings

Spree shooting in California, U.S. January 2026 November 2025 yes center 300 300 yes 13 34.10854 -118.14997 point 34.11009 -118.15610 Site of the school district headquarters shooting 1 point 34.10891 -118.14941 Site of the South Pasadena Junior High School shooting 2 Primary crime scenes: Site of the school district headquarters shooting (1), Site of the South Pasadena Junior High School shooting (2) 34.10854 -118.14997 South Pasadena, California, U.S. * Board members of the South Pasadena Unified School District Staff at South Pasadena Junior High School 1940 05 06 2:15 p.m. UTC−08:00 Mass shooting mass murder school shooting spree shooting 5 2 (including the perpetrator) Verlin Spencer .22-caliber Colt Woodsman semi-automatic pistol Substance abuse, delusions of persecution Pleaded guilty 5 counts of first-degree murder, 1 count of attempted first-degree murder yes 5 consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole after 7 years On May 6, 1940, recently dismissed 37-year-old principal Verlin Spencer killed three of his former colleagues at the South Pasadena Unified School District headquarters. He then drove to South Pasadena Junior High School (now South Pasadena Middle School), where he murdered two additional staff members before shooting himself in the abdomen and being arrested.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-20-me-14688-story.html A Principal’s Bloody Rampage Rasmussen Cecilia Los Angeles Times July 20, 1997 November 24, 2025 live https://web.archive.org/web/20250615123531/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-20-me-14688-story.html June 15, 2025 The incident was considered the deadliest school shooting in the United States since 1900 until the University of Texas tower shooting in 1966.https://whhscbox.com/830/news-features/school-shootings-show-a-sinister-side-of-history/ School Shootings Show a Sinister Side of History Anderson Amanda The Chatterbox March 2, 2018 November 25, 2025 live https://web.archive.org/web/20251125094749/https://whhscbox.com/830/news-features/school-shootings-show-a-sinister-side-of-history/ November 25, 2025 On July 29, 1940, Spencer pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole.https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=IVP19400729.2.66&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- South Pasadena Mad Principal Pleads Guilty to School's Mass Murders Imperial Valley Press July 29, 1940 November 25, 2025 Imperial Valley Press Associated Press 3 California Digital Newspaper Collection Spencer had initially entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. He was paroled in 1970, and spent his remaining years in Hawaii, helping rehabilitate former convicts until his death in 1991.https://www.dailyrepublic.com/lifestyle/back-in-the-day-1970-verlin-spencer-school-principal-and-murderer-released-from-cmf/article_fc54e5b4-e4b1-11ef-82b8-37a9b9fd3cc6.html Back in the Day: 1970: Verlin Spencer, school principal and murderer, released from CMF Wade Tony Daily Republic February 9, 2025 November 25, 2025 McNaughton, Foy; McNaughton, T. Burt Shooting At approximately 2:15 p.m. on May 6, 1940, Spencer arrived at the now-demolished South Pasadena Unified School District headquarters at 1327 Diamond Avenue.https://laist.com/shows/take-two/former-south-pasadena-students-recall-1940-murder-spree Former South Pasadena students recall 1940 murder spree LAist September 19, 2014 November 25, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20260222224047/https://laist.com/shows/take-two/former-south-pasadena-students-recall-1940-murder-spree February 22, 2026 live Take Two with A Martínez A Martínez A scheduled meeting regarding his disputed dismissal as principal was set to take place there. Armed with a .22-caliber Colt Woodsman semi-automatic pistol, Spencer entered the administrative offices where the meeting was to occur, and shot dead three district officials.https://www.nytimes.com/1940/05/07/archives/angry-principal-kills-4-in-school-wounds-two-and-himself-in-attack.html ANGRY PRINCIPAL KILLS 4 IN SCHOOL New York Times May 7, 1940 November 25, 2025 The New York Times Archival Library 1; 2 The New York Times After killing the three men, Spencer fled the building: as he exited, he encountered 30-year-old school board secretary Dorothy Talbert, who attempted to hide beneath her desk. Spencer shot her in the shoulder as she sought cover, leaving her permanently paralyzed. Talbert described Spencer as firing with “lightning precision.”https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-06-me-a2anniversary6-story.html The principal who resorted to a gun May 6, 1940 November 25, 2025 live https://web.archive.org/web/20210423184244/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-06-me-a2anniversary6-story.html April 23, 2021 Los Angeles Times May 6, 2006 L.A. Times Archives As he fled the scene, students from the nearby South Pasadena High School - unaware of the shootings - helped him jump-start his car, which had a dead battery. Spencer then drove three blocks to South Pasadena Junior High School. Upon entering the building, he shot art teachers 35-year-oldhttps://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MT19400509.2.11&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- Fifth Victim Verlin Spencer’s Mad Shootings Dies of Wounds Madera Tribune May 9, 1940 November 25, 2025 California Digital Newspaper Collection Madera Tribune 1 Los Angeles Verner V. Vanderlip and 45-year-old Ruth Barnett Sturgeon. Reports indicated that he had forced Vanderlip into the school's basement. Vanderlip died at the scene, while Sturgeon succumbed to her injuries on May 9, 1940. When police arrived at the school, they cornered Spencer in the empty school cafeteria: he then turned the gun on himself and fired into his torso, though the wound caused only minor injury. Multiple initial news reports mistakenly claimed that Spencer had died from the self-inflicted gunshot.https://www.newspapers.com/article/independent-rumors-of-verlin-spencers-d/1043561/?locale=en-GB Rumors of Verlin Spencer's death were greatly exaggerated Long Beach Independent May 7, 1940 November 25, 2025 limited Newspapers.com Associated Press right 36% Casualties At the school district headquarters: George Bush (53, superintendent) John E. Alman (50, principal of South Pasadena High School) William R. Speer (43, business manager of the South Pasadena Unified School District) Dorothy Talbert (30, secretary; wounded) At South Pasadena Junior High School: Verner V. Vanderlip (35, manual arts instructor) Ruth Barnett Sturgeon (45, art teacher) Aftermath Author John Church was in Pasadena at the time of the shooting, an experience he later recounted in his 1996 book Pasadena Cowboy: Growing Up in Southern California and Montana, 1925–1947.Church John Pasadena Cowboy: Growing Up in Southern California and Montana 1925 to 1947 https://www.amazon.com/Pasadena-Cowboy-Growing-Southern-California/dp/0965307123 Conover-Patterson Pub 978-0965307123 November 25, 2025 Amazon 1st Novatco, California January 1, 1996https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2014/08/19/arrest-of-south-pasadena-teens-revives-memories-for-survivors-of-1940-mass-shooting/ Arrest of South Pasadena teens revives memories for survivors of 1940 mass shooting Girardot Frank C. Pasadena Star News August 19, 2014 November 25, 2025 2nd Groups of students reportedly searched the school for Spencer or additional victims, and eventually found the body of Verner V. Vanderlip at the bottom of the basement stairs. Dorothy Talbert and Ruth Barnett Sturgeon were rushed to Huntington Hospital after being discovered, with Sturgeon later dying of her injuries. Perpetrator Verlin H. Spencer (December 28, 1902 - January 11, 1991) was born in Colorado to Edna R. Bloss and an unknown father.https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/71318330 Verlen Spencer Ancestry.com November 25, 2025 subscriptionhttps://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8833/records/121037 Verlin H. Spencer Ancestry.com January 5, 2026 subscription Aside from the fact that his parents divorced at an unspecified time, little is known about his early life.https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/71318336 Edna R Bloss Ancestry.com November 25, 2025 He later moved to Ventura, California. While living in Ventura, Spencer met a woman named Mildred Pollock, whom he married in 1931.https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61366/records/384781?tid=&pid=&queryId=c421ee78-5119-4a04-94c6-ef67b8fe46e8&_phsrc=clf65&_phstart=successSourceA Verlin Spencer marriage Ancestry.com January 5, 2026 subscription The couple relocated to South Pasadena in 1933 when Spencer was 30, and his mother eventually moved in with them. In South Pasadena, he began work at South Pasadena Junior High School, though his perfectionism and strict administrative style reportedly caused friction among the staff. Ruth Barnett Sturgeon was a member of staff that Spencer notably disliked. In 1939, Spencer allegedly suffered a nervous breakdown. This was possibly linked to chronic headaches he was experiencing. As a result, Superintendent Bush placed him on an involuntary three-week leave of absence. The break did little to help; upon returning, Spencer developed a persecution complex. He also began carrying the pistol later used in the attack in his car. He was reportedly an avid gun collector who frequently practiced at local shooting ranges. On April 30, 1940, Spencer was suspended from his position - a decision he strongly contested. A meeting to discuss the matter was scheduled for May 6 at the South Pasadena Unified School District headquarters, the day the shooting occurred. Legal proceedings and incarceration On July 29, 1940, Spencer pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder. In the months leading up to this, he had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but ultimately changed his plea after being called to trial before Judge Thomas L. Ambrose. This shift may have been influenced by the discovery of a note Spencer had written stating that he was of “right mind” and leaving his home to his wife - evidence that could have undermined his insanity defence. Spencer was sentenced to five life terms with the possibility of parole beginning in 1947 and was incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. However, residents of South Pasadena contested each parole hearing, fearful that Spencer was still a danger to society. Three years into his sentence, a doctor at County-USC Medical Center reported that immediately after the shooting, Spencer had exhibited extremely high levels of bromide - an over-the-counter sedative - within his bloodstream. Authorities eventually concluded that the drug's influence had contributed to the attack, leading to Spencer being declared not guilty for his actions. Despite this finding, he remained in custody. Sometime after the California Medical Facility opened in 1955, Spencer was transferred there. While incarcerated, Spencer worked as a teacher for other inmates. At night, he devoted himself to writing numerous legal appeals. In 1968, one of these appeals succeeded when it was noted that his attorney had failed to raise the insanity defence during Spencer's final hearing, prompting a new trial. During that proceeding, it was determined that Spencer would be paroled in 1970 on the condition that he could not return to California. Post release After his release, Spencer moved to Hawaii, where he worked to help rehabilitate former convicts. He continued this work until his death on January 11, 1991, at the age of 88. Despite his previous condition to not return to California, his resting place would be documented as San Diego.https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/5180/records/6962276?tid=&pid=&queryId=296ce84f-3db9-476a-a2cd-ab3471ef3400&_phsrc=clf67&_phstart=successSource Verlin H Spencer death Ancestry.com January 5, 2026 subscription See also 2023 University of Nevada, Las Vegas shooting; a school shooting in 2023 which occurred under similar circumstances 1966 Rose-Mar College of Beauty shooting References External links San Gabriel Valley Tribune South Pasadena School Shooting Plot News articles related to a foiled mass shooting plot by two students at South Pasadena High School in 2014 Category:1940 in California Category:Deaths by firearm in California Category:Mass shootings in California Category:1940s mass murders in the United States California Category:Workplace shootings in the United States Category:Mass murders in California Category:School shootings in California Category:1940s mass shootings in the United States Category:Spree shootings in the United States Category:Mass shootings involving semi-automatic pistols in the United States Category:School shootings committed by staff Category:Attacks on schools in the 1940s Category:1940 mass murders Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 1940 Category:May 1940 in the United States Category:1940 murders in the United States Category:Mass shootings in schools