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Officer who brought down Whitman dies
Houston McCoy shunned spotlight since '66 massacre
Updated: Thursday, 27 Dec 2012, 5:04 PM CST
Published : Thursday, 27 Dec 2012, 3:58 PM CST
AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) - Houston McCoy, who as an Austin police officer in 1966 climbed up the staircase of the University Tower to help kill Charles Whitman and end what at the time was the nation's largest mass shooting, died Thursday.
“It is with a heavy heart that I report the passing of former APD Officer Houston McCoy,” said Police Chief Art Acevedo. “I was privileged to have met and spent time with Houston and his wonderful family the past few years and will miss him dearly. Please take a moment to pray for Houston and his family.”
Whitman, a former Marine, positioned himself on the observation deck of the iconic tower on Aug. 1, 1966, and began firing. The shooter killed 16 people, including Austin Police Officer Billy Speed, and injured 32 others during a shooting spree.
McCoy fired two blasts from his shotgun to bring down Whitman after two hours of terror on the UT campus. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association, said McCoy died in the rural West Texas town of Menard.
McCoy was 72 and had been battling a terminal illness for the past year.
Whitman continued firing before McCoy and fellow officer Ramiro Martinez made their way to the observation deck. Martinez also fired on the gunman.
Vincent called McCoy a good police officer who "answered the call" unsure whether he would live upon reaching the top of the tower.
The Austin Police Department said in a statement that "McCoy was known for being humble, kind and sensitive and was quick to point out that he was not the only officer to help end Whitman’s rampage."
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