Eric Christopher Houston was born in 1972. He dropped out of Lindhurst High School and later struggled to maintain steady employment, notably losing a job that deeply affected him. He also harbored resentment toward his former Civics teacher, Robert Brens, after failing the class—an act he later called an embarrassment. The combination of job loss, academic failure, and mounting anger contributed to a growing psychological strain, which Houston himself described as being “out of touch with reality” in the days leading to the shooting. 

On May 1, 1992, at approximately 2:40 PM PST, Houston returned to Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst, California, armed with a Mossberg Maverick 88 12‑gauge pump shotgun and a sawed‑off .22‑caliber rifle. He immediately stormed into Civics teacher Robert Brens’ classroom, fatally shooting Brens—his former teacher—before turning his gun on students.

Inside the classroom, he killed Judy Davis, aged 17. He exited into the hallway, where he shot Jason Edward White (19) in the chest and murdered Beamon Aton Hill (16), who had heroically pushed another student—Angela Welch—out of harm’s way. During the rampage, Houston wounded 10 other individuals, including students and a teacher. 

Following the initial attacks, he took control of a classroom of about 25–30 students and forced them to fetch additional hostages—ultimately controlling over 80 students. This triggered a prolonged eight-hour siege, with law enforcement negotiating outside. Through the night, police worked to end the standoff without further loss of life.

At around 11:30 PM, the siege concluded when Houston surrendered peacefully, following a massive police response . No further lives were lost during the standoff.

Houston stated he acted out of resentment—over his academic failures, coinsiding with losing his job—and said he believed himself disconnected from reality when he committed the crimes.

Houston was found guilty on September 21, 1993, of four counts of first-degree murder, nine counts of attempted murder, and one count of hostage-taking. The jury sentenced him to death, a verdict upheld in 2012 by the California Supreme Court. Houston remained on death row at San Quentin until being transferred to Pelican Bay State Prison in March 2024 due to statewide inmate movement protocols.