Incident Summary:
02/08/1990: Dr. Hyram Kitchen, dean of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, was shot to death outside his home and horse farm in Knoxville, Tennessee in the United States, by unknown perpetrator(s). As he was on his way to work, Kitchen was shot eight times with a .22-caliber handgun as he left his horse farm. After the incident, police warned veterinary college deans around the country , as a precaution, that based on an unconfirmed report, an animal rights extremist group threatened to kill one dean a month for the next year to protest laboratory research on animals, and that a militant underground animal rights faction may have been responsible for killing Kitchen, though the perpetrator of the incident was never identified and no one claimed responsibility.
Overview
GTD ID:
199002080006
When:
1990-02-08
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Tennessee
City:
Knoxville
Location Details:
outside residence at 6608 Northboro Rd in Knoxville, TN
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Assassination |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Educational Institution |
Name of Entity |
Hyram Kitchen, dean of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine |
Specific Description |
Hyram Kitchen, dean of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
No |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Firearms |
Handgun |
Weapon Details |
.22 caliber handgun |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Additional Information |
Kitchen was shot four times in the face and chest, twice in the back as he ran away and twice point-blank in the back of the head as he lay on the ground. His assailant was never identified, and the case remains a cold case. Though animal rights activists were suspected in his murder, it is unknown if Kitchen was in fact killed by them. The alert put out by police stated that a ''a splinter group'' of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, and the underground Animal Liberation Front may have been involved in the incidents based on unconfirmed reports of threats from animal rights extremists, but members of animal rights groups denied any involvement and denounced police for creating hysteria. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Unknown |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
1 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
1 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
1 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
0 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Bill Brewer, "Animal rights activists denounce police alert," United Press International, February 26, 1990. |
"Police Caution Veterinary College Deans," Los Angeles Times, February 25, 1990. |
"1990 Homicide of Hyram Kitchen," Knox County Sheriff's Office, June 9, 2008. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties