SAN DIEGO — On July 18, 1984, a gunman shot and killed 21 people at a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
Over the course of 77 tragic minutes, James Huberty, 41, fatally shot 21 people and wounded 19 others before police snipers killed him.
On that day, News 8 reported from the San Ysidro McDonald's, which resembled a warzone. In a 1984 evening report from the News 8 Archives, Carlos Amezcua said the shooter, "Killed enough to shake a whole country and make this small town wonder if its streets will ever be the same."
The nation held its breath as local residents grieved one of the darkest days in the history of San Diego County.
Remembering the tragedy
WATCH: Former San Diego Police Chief looks back | 14 years later
WATCH: San Diego remembers the massacre | 35 years later
77 Minutes
The tragic massacre inspired the documentary titled, "77 Minutes" directed by Charlie Minn. CBS 8 spoke to Minn about the documentary, and he said he believes police failed the victims that day by surrounding the building but doing nothing to take out the shooter.
He said precious minutes were wasted that could have been used to get those shot medical attention.
"The police are outstanding when it comes to surrounding and containing, but while you do that, innocent people are getting blown way,” Minn told CBS 8. “Every second is critical. You gotta get your rear end in there and address the target.”
The strategy to immediately address the threat wasn't in place back in 1984.
Memorial
In July 2021, a memorial was created to honor the lives of the 21 victims. The memorial was erected at the site of Southwestern College's Higher Education Center to commemorate 37 years since the massacre.
The memorial features 21 hexagonal pillars representing each victim. The memorial was decorated with flower displays.
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