At approximately 11:35 am on August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman arrived at the University of Texas at Austin campus where he posed as a research assistant and told a security guard he was there to deliver equipment. He climbed twenty-eight floors of the UT tower and emerged on the observation deck where for ninety-six minutes he opened fire on innocent people below. In those ninety-six minutes, Whitman killed sixteen people, and injured thirty-one. The incident, which became known as the "UT Tower Sniper" shooting, was one of the first high-profile mass shootings in American history and sparked a national conversation about gun violence and mental health. The Texas Tower shooting remains one of the most brutal mass shootings in United States history, and was considered the deadliest on a college campus until the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. This is the story of Charles Whitman and you are listening to Murder in America. - This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/MIA and use our custom code MIA for 10% off your first month of easy online therapy - ButcherBox: Get the New Year bundle for free plus $10 off when you sign up today. That’s a 14 oz pork tenderloin, 2 lbs of ground turkey, and 4 top sirloin steaks free in your first box. Sign up at ButcherBox.com/MIA and use code MIA to claim this offer! - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.