Spencer James Hight

Spencer James Hight was born on 20 October 1984 in Orange County, California. He later moved to Texas, where he studied at the University of Texas at Dallas. While attending university, he met Meredith Lane, who had transferred from a school in Georgia. The couple married in May 2011 and purchased a home in Plano, Texas, in 2015. They did not have children.

At the time the house was purchased, Hight had recently lost his contracting job at Texas Instruments. Friends later reported that he had become increasingly isolated and had developed a pattern of heavy alcohol use. According to Meredith’s mother, the marriage had become abusive, with a prior incident where Hight allegedly slammed her daughter's head against a wall. Meredith filed for divorce in July 2017, citing “discord or conflict of personalities.” The couple had separated in March of that year.

In the weeks leading up to the shooting, Hight remained unemployed and reportedly displayed erratic behavior while drinking. A bartender at a local bar noted in text messages that he had been visibly intoxicated and had brought a large knife to the bar on the night of the shooting.

On 10 September 2017, Spencer Hight carried out a mass shooting at the Plano, Texas home he once shared with his estranged wife, Meredith Hight. At the time of the attack, Meredith was hosting a football watch party for friends and coworkers. The event took place during a Dallas Cowboys game.

At approximately 8:00 p.m., neighbors reported hearing 30 to 40 gunshots coming from the residence on West Spring Creek Parkway. Police responded to the scene and entered the home, where they found nine individuals with gunshot wounds. Seven were pronounced dead at the scene, and two were transported to a local hospital. One of the injured later died. All of the victims were adults, ranging in age from their early twenties to early thirties.

Spencer Hight was shot and killed by responding officers inside the home. Authorities later confirmed that he was the perpetrator and that the attack had been targeted. Meredith Hight, 27, was among the deceased. Two of the victims, James Dunlop and Rion Morgan, had served in Hight’s wedding as best man and groomsman.

The victims were:

• Meredith Hight, 27
• Anthony Cross, 33
• Olivia Deffner, 24
• James Dunlop, 29
• Daryl Hawkins, 22
• Rion Morgan, 31
• Myah Bass, 28
• Caleb Edwards, 25
• Carly Shockey, 25 (survived with a gunshot wound to the face)

A vigil for the victims was held on 20 September 2017, organized by the Junior League of Collin County. In 2021, a civil lawsuit resulted in an $85 million award to survivor Carly Shockey after a jury found the Local Public House bar negligent for serving Hight while he was intoxicated on the night of the killings.