Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
12/21/1973: An assailant shot and injured Theresa DeMartini near the border of Haight-Ashbury and Fillmore in San Francisco, California, United States, just before 10:00p.m. The specific perpetrators of this incident are unidentified; however, it is suspected that Larry Green was involved in the incident as witnesses provided a car description that matched Green's Dodge Dart. The perpetrators were black Muslims who followed the Nation of Islam and believed that they had to "destroy the enemy" and "kill devils," which they interpreted as white people. This was the eighth in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) targeting white people by black Muslims who came to be known as the Zebra Killers.Overview
GTD ID:
197312200003
When:
1973-12-20
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
California
City:
San Francisco
Location Details:
600 block of Central Avenue
What
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Not applicable | ||
| Specific Description | white woman, Theresa DeMartini | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | No |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Firearms | Handgun |
| Weapon Details | |
| .32 caliber gun | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | Some sources refer to this victim as "Angela Roselli," but this was not the victim's real name. No indictment was brought for this crime other than the conspiracy charge, due to lack of adequate evidence and witnesses; however, based on witness description, it is suspected that Larry Green was one of the perpetrators responsible for this incident. A car matching the description of Green's car, a Dodge Dart, was spotted near the scene of the crime. The eight Zebra killers were black Muslims, who belonged to the San Francisco chapter of the independent socio-religious sect, the Nation of Islam. The perpetrators followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, and believed that their deity motivated them to kill the "devil," which the men interpreted to mean white people. The Nation of Islam paid for the legal representation of most members during their trials for these attacks. This was the ninth incident in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) by the perpetrators who came to be known as the Zebra killers. See also events 197310200002, 197310220003, 197310290003, 197311250004, 197312110002, 197312130001, 197312130002, 197312200004, 197312220002, 197312220003, 197312230001, 197401280001, 197401280002, 197401280003, 197401280004, 197404010003, 197404140003, and 197404160003 |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Zebra killers | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 1 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Total Number of Casualties | 0 Fatalities / 1 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 1 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 1 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen, "The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights," Arcade Publishing, Inc., 2006. |
| Clark Howard, "Zebra: The true account of the 179 days of terror in San Francisco," Richard Marek Publishers, 1979. |
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