Shell Lake murders
Encyclopedia
The Shell Lake murders is the name of a single mass murder
incident committed by Victor Ernest Hoffman (b. 1946, died May 21, 2004) in Shell Lake
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
, during the early morning of August 15, 1967. Nine people, all members of James Peterson's family, were shot in the head by a man who was later called "Canada's worst random mass murderer".
Victor Hoffman was 21 years old at the time and had been released from a mental hospital
just three weeks before the murders. On the morning of August 15 he entered the Peterson's farm armed with a .22-calibre Browning
pump-action
repeater rifle
. He then proceeded to shoot all members of the Peterson family, seven of them children, at close range around the four-room house. According to police 28 shots were fired in total, of which 27 found their target.
Mr. Peterson was shot in the kitchen, while his wife Evelyn and her one-year old baby were found in the backyard. The other six children were shot while sleeping in their bedrooms. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17 years old. Phyllis Peterson, then 4 years old, was the lone survivor of the massacre
. She was sleeping under the bedclothes between her two sisters and thus was not noticed by Hoffman. However, Hoffman later declared that he spared her because "she had the face of an angel."
The bodies were found by Wildrew Lang who was to help Mr. Peterson with farm duties later that morning. He had to travel 6 km (3.7 mi) to the next telephone
post before he could report the incident to the police
. The police immediately started an extensive manhunt
on the surroundings of the house.
without putting up resistance. He was found at his parents' home in Leask
, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Shell Lake. After his arrest he told the police that he had fought the devil
before the murders and described him as being "tall, black and having no genitals ." He was remanded to a mental hospital in North Battleford where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
.
Hoffman was found not guilty by reason of insanity
on non-capital murder
charges in February 1968. During the trial Crown prosecutor Serge Kujawa called Hoffman "the craziest man in Saskatchewan." He was put under the custody of the provincial Health Ministry and sent to a mental institution. He remained most of the time in an Ontario
-based institution until December 2001, when he was granted supervised access to the towns of Penetanguishene, Port McNicoll
and Midland
in Ontario. This decision was not without controversy since the hospital was only required to inform the local police of Hoffman's release.
Canadian journalist Peter Tadman wrote a book about the murders in 1992 and had the chance to interview Hoffman several times. According to Tadman, Hoffman felt no guilt about the murders and reported that he still saw the devil that compelled him to commit them.
Hoffman died of cancer
under custody on May 21, 2004.
on Winnipeg
's Eagle Records
label (ER-128) within a month of the event (September 1967). Lawyers threatened the label with a lawsuit, and the 45 was rapidly recalled. This rarity has recently been released on "The Best Of Eagle Records" on the Super Oldies label (2009).
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
incident committed by Victor Ernest Hoffman (b. 1946, died May 21, 2004) in Shell Lake
Shell Lake, Saskatchewan
Shell Lake is a village located in the Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496, Saskatchewan. It was formerly part of the Rural Municipality of Shell Lake No. 495, Saskatchewan before it was absorbed in the RM of Spiritwood. The Shell Lake murders took place on a nearby farm....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, during the early morning of August 15, 1967. Nine people, all members of James Peterson's family, were shot in the head by a man who was later called "Canada's worst random mass murderer".
Victor Hoffman was 21 years old at the time and had been released from a mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
just three weeks before the murders. On the morning of August 15 he entered the Peterson's farm armed with a .22-calibre Browning
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....
pump-action
Pump-action
A pump-action rifle or shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject a spent round of ammunition and to chamber a fresh one. It is much faster than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action, as it does not require the trigger hand to be removed from...
repeater rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
. He then proceeded to shoot all members of the Peterson family, seven of them children, at close range around the four-room house. According to police 28 shots were fired in total, of which 27 found their target.
Mr. Peterson was shot in the kitchen, while his wife Evelyn and her one-year old baby were found in the backyard. The other six children were shot while sleeping in their bedrooms. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17 years old. Phyllis Peterson, then 4 years old, was the lone survivor of the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
. She was sleeping under the bedclothes between her two sisters and thus was not noticed by Hoffman. However, Hoffman later declared that he spared her because "she had the face of an angel."
The bodies were found by Wildrew Lang who was to help Mr. Peterson with farm duties later that morning. He had to travel 6 km (3.7 mi) to the next telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
post before he could report the incident to the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
. The police immediately started an extensive manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
on the surroundings of the house.
Aftermath
On August 19, 1967, Hoffman was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
without putting up resistance. He was found at his parents' home in Leask
Leask, Saskatchewan
-Demographics:-Footnotes:...
, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Shell Lake. After his arrest he told the police that he had fought the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
before the murders and described him as being "tall, black and having no genitals ." He was remanded to a mental hospital in North Battleford where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
Hoffman was found not guilty by reason of insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
on non-capital murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
charges in February 1968. During the trial Crown prosecutor Serge Kujawa called Hoffman "the craziest man in Saskatchewan." He was put under the custody of the provincial Health Ministry and sent to a mental institution. He remained most of the time in an Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
-based institution until December 2001, when he was granted supervised access to the towns of Penetanguishene, Port McNicoll
Port McNicoll, Ontario
Port McNicoll is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the Simcoe County township of Tay.-Busy terminal:The community of Port McNicoll was established in 1908 as a Great Lakes port on the southern shores of Georgian Bay...
and Midland
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...
in Ontario. This decision was not without controversy since the hospital was only required to inform the local police of Hoffman's release.
Canadian journalist Peter Tadman wrote a book about the murders in 1992 and had the chance to interview Hoffman several times. According to Tadman, Hoffman felt no guilt about the murders and reported that he still saw the devil that compelled him to commit them.
Hoffman died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
under custody on May 21, 2004.
Miscellany
Manitoba country musician Irvin Freese took an interest in the event, writing and recording "The Shell Lake Disaster" which was released as a 45Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
's Eagle Records
Eagle Records
Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC...
label (ER-128) within a month of the event (September 1967). Lawyers threatened the label with a lawsuit, and the 45 was rapidly recalled. This rarity has recently been released on "The Best Of Eagle Records" on the Super Oldies label (2009).
See also
- Rochfort Bridge massacre
- École Polytechnique MassacreÉcole Polytechnique massacreThe École Polytechnique Massacre, also known as the Montreal Massacre, was a hate crime perpetrated on December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Twenty-five-year-old Gamil Rodrigue Liass Gharbi, who had changed his name to Marc Lépine, armed with a legally obtained...
- List of massacres in Canada