On September 2, 2006, Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, was shaken by a rare and tragic act of violence when a father turned his visit into a murder-suicide. At approximately 2:00 p.m., 49-year-old Douglas W. Pennington drove onto campus to visit his two adult sons, 26-year-old Logan and 24-year-old Benjamin, who both lived and studied there. He approached them in a parking lot between two dormitory buildings and opened fire with a .38-caliber revolver, killing both immediately. He then turned the weapon on himself and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. All three were declared dead shortly after arriving at nearby hospitals.
Pennington had driven nearly two hours from his home that day. He appeared calm and unremarkable, with no known history of criminal activity. Investigators later learned he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment and that family members had tried, unsuccessfully, to have him hospitalized prior to the shooting.
The attack occurred during Labor Day weekend, when much of the campus was quiet. The stillness only deepened the shock. Officers responding to the scene found no signs of struggle, only a deliberate act carried out with brutal efficiency.
This was not a random mass shooting, nor a case of targeting strangers or lashing out at an institution. It was a private catastrophe, rooted in mental illness and familial collapse. The Pennington case stands as a haunting reminder of how untreated psychological breakdowns can destroy even the closest of bonds.
Articles:
3 Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide at W. Virginia University
Man Kills 2 Sons, Himself At University in W.Va.
Father shoots student sons, then kills himself
Additional Links:
Douglas Pennington – Find a Grave
Logan Patrick Pennington – Memorial, Find a Grave
Benjamin Mark Pennington – Find a Grave
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