University of Alabama Huntsville Shooting

Statistically, it’s rare for a school shooter to be a female. It's also extremely rare for a school shooter to be a staff member.

The Day of the Shooting

On February 12, 2010, The University of Alabama Huntsville Biology department was having a routine meeting on the 3rd floor of the Shelby Center, attended by about 12 professors and staff department staff. Prior to the meeting, Professor Amy Bishop taught her anatomy class and neurosciences class, and they day seemed normal.

A few minutes before 4:00pm, Amy Bishop stood up from the table and walked behind several of her coworkers on one side of the table. She pulled out a Ruger pistol and began shooting her coworkers execution style.

Amy Bishop - Public Domain

The Victims

In total at the college, Bishop killed three people and injured an additional three. After the shooting, she called her husband, who was unaware of what happened, to have him pick her up from campus. She was arrested outside of the building within minutes of the shooting, and claimed to not believe the police when they told her that she had murdered people.

Motive

It was determined that she had been denied tenure and that it was likely that her teaching contract would not be renewed after the end of the school year, which was likely the motive for the shooting.

A memorial service was held on the campus for the three faculty members who were killed, which was attended by over 3,000 people.

Amy Bishop's Violent Past

During the investigation it was found that Bishop had also shot and killed her brother in 1986 with a shotgun, but the shooting had been classified as an accident. The case was reopened and Bishop was charged with 4 murders in total. She had also previously assaulted a woman at an IHOP in 2002 for which she received parole. She’s currently serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.

The Campus Today

The University of Alabama Huntsville is located just West of Huntsville. The Shelby Center building is located on the west side of the campus just south of Holmes Ave on John Wright Dr. The shooting took place on the 3rd floor of the building, although the exact room is unclear. The campus is private property and trespassing is prohibited.