Summary:
On December 7, 1993 Colin Ferguson boarded a Long Island commuter train and began shooting the passengers with a Ruger P-89 9mm pistol. The incident known as the Long Island Railroad Massacre resulted in six people being killed and 19 injured.
Personal Information:
- Born - January 14, 1958
- Birthplace - Jamaica
- Gender - Male
- Religion - Unknown
- Ethnicity - Black
Crime Events:
According to trial testimony, Ferguson suffered from extreme paranoia involving many races but it was mostly centered around the feeling that white people were out to get him. At some point his paranoia pushed him into devising a plan of revenge.
In order to avoid embarrassing New York City mayor David Dinkins, Ferguson selected a commuter train headed to Nassau County. Once the train entered Nassau, Ferguson began shooting, selecting specific white people to gun down and sparing others. The reasons for his selection of who to shoot and who not was never made clear.
As he stopped to reload his gun for the third time he was overpowered by three passengers and held down until the police arrived.
After a bizarre trial in which Ferguson represented himself, he was found guilty and sentenced to 200 years in prison.
Source:
The Long Island Railroad Massacre, A&E American Justice
