Editing Howard Unruh (section)

==Shootings==
At approximately 7 a.m. on September 6, 1949, Unruh ate a breakfast prepared by his mother, who then left to visit a neighbor, Carolina Pinner. At about 9:20&nbsp;a.m., armed with his [[Luger P08]] [[pistol]], an eight-round [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]], and more ammunition carried in his pockets, he left his apartment and walked out onto River Road in Camden.<ref name="newspaperarchive1949"/><ref name="newspaperarchive3">{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/racine-journal-times-sep-07-1949-p-3/ |title=13th Victim of Massacre Dies |work=Racine Journal Times |page=3 |via=NewspaperArchive |date=September 7, 1949 |access-date=September 14, 2018}}</ref> Approaching a bread-delivery truck, Unruh shoved his pistol through the door and shot at the driver. He missed his shot by a few inches and the driver unsuccessfully attempted to warn residents.<!-- Empty reference <ref name="Rampage in Camden"/--><ref name="newspaperarchive8" />

Unruh visited the shop of one of his neighbors, shoemaker John Pilarchik, whom he shot and killed instantly.<ref name="newspaperarchive3"/> He next visited the barbershop of another neighbor, Clark Hoover, who was cutting the hair of six-year-old Orris Smith. He shot Hoover in the head and Smith in the neck, both fatally. Running to Cohen's pharmacy, Unruh encountered insurance man James Hutton and killed him when he didn't move out of his way.<!-- Empty reference <ref name="Rampage in Camden"/--><ref name="newspaperarchive8">{{cite web|url=https://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/howard_unruh/index.html |title=Rampage in Camden |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System |date=September 7, 1949 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612072435/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/howard_unruh/index.html |archive-date=June 12, 2008 |access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>

Unruh proceeded to the rear of the pharmacy and saw Cohen and his wife Rose running up the stairs into their apartment. Once in the apartment, Cohen climbed through a window and onto the porch roof, while Rose hid herself and their son, 12-year-old Charles, in separate closets. However, Unruh discovered the closet Rose was hiding in and shot three times through the door before opening it and firing once more into her face. Walking across the apartment, he spotted Cohen's mother Minnie, age 63, trying to call the police, and shot her several times. He then followed Cohen onto a porch roof and shot him in the back, causing him to fall to the pavement below. Charles, still hiding in the second closet, managed to escape undetected.

Unruh then walked into the middle of River Road and fired at an approaching sedan,<ref name="newspaperarchive4">{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-sep-07-1949-p-22/ |title=Unruh's Own Version of His Massacre of 13 |work=[[The Lowell Sun]] |page=22 |via=NewspaperArchive |date=September 7, 1949 |access-date=September 14, 2018}}</ref> killing the driver, Alvin Day, and causing the car to careen onto the sidewalk. He then visited the business of tailor Thomas Zegrino; he was not there, but his wife Helga was and was killed by the gunman. Zegrino was the only one of Unruh's intended targets to survive the rampage.

After firing through the locked front door of a grocery store, Unruh approached a car waiting at the intersection and shot the occupants: Helen Wilson, her son John, and mother Emma Matlack; the two women died instantly, while the boy died later at [[Cooper University Hospital|Cooper Hospital]]. Unruh then fired through an apartment window, killing two-year-old Thomas Hamilton. The child's caregiver, Irene Rice, collapsed upon witnessing the shooting and was treated for severe [[shock (circulatory)|shock]]. Unruh later claimed that he didn't know whom he saw in the window or whether he hit them. Unruh next fired upon another car coming down the street; its occupants, Charles Peterson and James Crawford, managed to escape to a nearby tavern and survived.

Witness William McNeely saw Frank Engel run out of the tavern and shoot at Unruh, but he apparently missed and then ran back inside.<ref name="newspaperarchive5">{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/chester-times-sep-06-1949-p-1/ |title=12 Slain by Mad Camden Gunman |work=[[Chester Times]] |date=September 6, 1949 |via=NewspaperArchive |access-date=September 14, 2018}}</ref> In fact, he had succeeded in shooting Unruh in the leg, as police discovered only at the end of a lengthy interview with Unruh. Unruh fired at several other people across the street, missing them. He then found Madeline Harris and her son Armand outside their home hanging out blankets to dry and shot at them; both were injured but survived.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-sep-07-1949-p-2/ |title=Wanted Revenge, Killer of 12 Says |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=2 |via=NewspaperArchive |date=September 7, 1949 |access-date=September 14, 2018}}</ref>

Hearing police sirens in the distance, Unruh returned to his apartment, which was soon surrounded by police. The first officer on the scene was Detective William E. Kelly Sr. A gunfight ensued,<ref name="newspaperarchive4"/> during which journalist Philip Buxton of the Camden ''Evening Courier'' found Unruh's number in the local telephone directory and dialled it. Unruh answered in what was described as "a strong, clear voice" and had the following conversation with Buxton:

<blockquote><poem>
"Is this Howard?"
"Yes ... what's the last name of the party you want?"
"Unruh."
(Pause) "What's the last name of the party you want?"
"Unruh. I'm a friend, and I want to know what they're doing to you."
"They're not doing a damned thing to me, but I'm doing plenty to them."
(In a soothing, reassuring voice) "How many have you killed?"
"I don't know yet, because I haven't counted them ... (pause) but it looks like a pretty good score."
"Why are you killing people?"
"I don't know. I can't answer that yet, I'm too busy."
(At that point Buxton heard Unruh move away from the phone as gunfire was heard in the background)
"I'll have to talk to you later ... a couple of friends are coming to get me" ... (voice trails off).<ref name="newspaperarchive5"/></poem></blockquote>

The gunfight ended when police threw two [[tear gas]] bombs into the apartment, the second of which went off, filling the room with gas.<ref name="newspaperarchive1949"/> Two armed officers, patrolman Charles Hance and Captain Everett Joslin, went up to the first floor of the building and shouted, "Come down with your hands up" to which Unruh replied, "I give up. Don't shoot." Unruh emerged from the room and stumbled down the stairs, fell at the feet of the officers, and was handcuffed by Sergeant Earl Wright.

It was later determined that the shooter fired a total of 33 rounds during his rampage.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-04-01 |title='I'd Have Killed A Thousand If I Had Enough Bullets' |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/id-have-killed-a-thousand-if-i-had-enough-bullets/amp/ |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=Mediaite}}</ref> Detectives found an apartment filled with what was described as an arsenal of weapons, guns, knives, bullet-making equipment, and more than 700 rounds. In a drawer were several marksmanship medals and in the basement was Unruh's target range. On a table was a Bible opened to [[Matthew 24|Matthew, Chapter 24]]. Police also found books relating to sex hygiene.<ref name="newspaperarchive2"/>