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Melvin Collins

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Melvin Collins
Bornc. 1910
Exmore, Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 1948 (aged 38)
Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by gunshot
Other names"Bad Boy"
MotiveUnknown
Details
DateNovember 6, 1948
LocationsChester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Killed8
Injured5
Weapons.22 caliber rifle

Melvin Collins (1910 – November 6, 1948) was an American mass murderer who committed a mass shooting in Chester, Pennsylvania, on November 6, 1948. During the shooting, dubbed the Market Street Massacre,[1][2][3][4] Collins opened fire on pedestrians and residents from the window of his apartment, killing eight and injuring five before he killed himself.[5][6][7][8]

Biography

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Collins was born into an African American family in Exmore, Virginia, in 1910. He had a history of violence, having been imprisoned twice for shootings, and had once cut his brother with a knife.[5][9] His family stated that Collins had "suffered periods of mental derangement" since 1940, following a head injury, and that he took up hunting small game outside their home. Collins reportedly spent time traveling the Mid-Atlantic regions as a migrant worker. After the shooting, a woman in Syracuse, New York, claimed to be Collins' wife and stated that he escaped Marcy State Hospital.[10]

One week before the shooting, Collins arrived in Chester for unknown reasons and checked into a second-floor boarding room at 233 Market Street in Bethel Court, a historically black neighborhood. Mike Pappas, who owned the building and the restaurant below, stated that he knew little about Collins. A neighbor described him as having a "hot temper".[11][12] Collins is known to have modified his ammunition to act as dum-dum rounds in preparation for the killings.[13]

Shooting

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At 8:15 a.m. on November 6, 1948,[5][14] Collins barricaded the entrance of his room. He then leaned out the window and yelled to a group of four men standing below, "Call the cops," before dropping a dime down. One of the men picked up the dime and handed it to another man, Harry Gibbs, who said, "This will get me a cup of coffee." Collins then aimed his .22 caliber rifle out the window and shot one of the men, Edward Boyer, killing him on the spot. The crowd dispersed as Collins continued to fire at people outside.[9][15]

Detective Ellery Purnsley, who was across the street, rushed to the scene and shot three times at Collins, grazing his chin. Purnsley was killed when Collins returned fire.[9][16] Fred Casino (the only non-African American victim) was driving by when he saw Detective Purnsley shot. He got out of his car and attempted to assist him and was then killed by Collins. Purnsley's son Bert and another man, Alfred Green, were also shot at when they walked out of a restaurant to reach the body of the fallen officer. James Simon was killed while he was inside of a cleaning shop.[10][17]

The gunshots attracted the attention of other passersby and neighbors, some of whom peered through the windows. Collins fatally shot Louise Moore and injured Hattie Nichols as the two were looking out of a window in Moore's apartment. Monroe Wyche was wounded by flying glass shards as he attempted to help the two women. Moore died of her injuries in a hospital nine hours later.[5][10][18]

As police began arriving, three passersby were fatally shot. Samuel Lyttle, described as a "deaf-mute" and nicknamed "Deafy", was shot and killed on the street.[10] 45-year-old Peter Parker and 7-year-old Samuel Hill were attempting to flee to safety, when both were fatally wounded;[19] they were pronounced dead within ten minutes of their arrival at Chester Hospital.[17]

A combined task force of seventy-eight policemen, armed with shotguns and submachine guns, arrived at the scene, shooting at Collins and hurling a total of twenty tear gas canisters into the window. A loan officer provided police with two rifles in hopes of getting a better shot at the gunman. As they rushed up the stairs of the building and attempted to break down his door, Collins laid down on his bed and committed suicide by shooting himself through the roof of his mouth.[9] The shooting ended at 9:20 a.m., lasting one hour and five minutes.[17][20]

Victims

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Killed

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  • Edward Boyer, 40, shot in the right side of the chest
  • Ellery Purnsley, 56, shot in the heart
  • Frederick Casino, 38, shot multiple times in the left side of the chest
  • Louise Moore, 40, shot in the forehead
  • James Simon, 41, shot in the left side of the neck
  • Peter Parker, 40 or 45, shot in the abdomen
  • Samuel Hill, 7, shot in the heart
  • Samuel Lyttle, 28, shot in shoulder

Injured

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  • Hattie Nichols, 29 or 38, shot below the right eye and temple
  • Alfred J. Green, 38, shot in the right shoulder
  • William Wilson, 63, shot in the left elbow and hip
  • Bert Purnsley, 38, bruised forehead while fleeing
  • Monroe Wyche, 57, cut hand from broken glass

Aftermath

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The motive for the shooting remains unknown. An initial rumor that it was connected to an argument over a numbers racket was rejected by police.[21] According to the rumor, Collins' first victim was a "numbers man", who was killed either during an argument below his window or ambushed by Collins from a car.[22] Another rumor framed the shootings as a "race riot",[17] claiming that Collins had first killed Fred Casino and stolen his car, fatally shot Detective Purnsley while at a crossroad, and shot the remaining victims while driving through the neighborhood before making a final stand at the boarding house.[23]

A commonly repeated, but most likely invented detail about the shootings revolved around mute victim Samuel Lyttle being "shocked" into speaking, supposedly telling police "I've been shot" before dying.[22][24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Maitland, Harry (November 6, 1973). "Market Street Massacre took place 25 years ago today". Delaware County Daily Times. p. 1.
  2. ^ "BERSERK GUNMAN NABBED WITHOUT SHOT AFTER KILLING 5 RELATIVES". Chester Times. November 18, 1950. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Tragedies: Market Street Massacre". Old Chester, PA. October 18, 2005.
  4. ^ "Detective Ellery Bertram Purnsley". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).
  5. ^ a b c d Evans, Orrin (November 6, 1948). "Killer Wounds 6 Others Before Taking Own Life". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Sauer, Patrick (October 14, 2015). "The Story of the First Mass Shooting in U.S. History". Smithsonian. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. ^ "CRIME: The End of Bad Boy Collins". TIME. November 15, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  8. ^ "Gunman Kills 8 In Anger Over Ten Cent Piece". Times Leader. November 8, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c d "CRIME: The End of Bad Boy Collins". TIME. November 15, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d "Migrant Kills 8, Injures 5". Baltimore Afro-American. November 9, 1948. pp. 1–2.
  11. ^ "Berserk Gunman Kills Seven and Then Ends His Life". St. Petersburg Times. November 7, 1948. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  12. ^ Tollin, Doris (December 30, 1948). "Chester Gun Battle Top Story of 1948". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Chester Slayer Used Dumdums". The Evening Independent. November 8, 1948. p. 17.
  14. ^ Tollin, Doris (December 30, 1948). "Nov. 6 Massacre Top '48 Story; Southern Penn Bus Fire Second". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Gunman Kills 8 In Anger Over Ten Cent Piece". Times Leader. November 8, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Gun Battle Tip Wins First Prize in Weekly Contest". Delaware County Daily Times. November 8, 1948. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b c d "8 DEAD IN GUNBATTLE". Delaware County Daily Times. November 6, 1948. p. 1.
  18. ^ "Gunman Slays 8, Self; 4 Hurt". The Spokesman-Review. November 7, 1948. p. 1.
  19. ^ Evans, Orrin (November 6, 1948). "Killer Wounds 6 Others Before Taking Own Life". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Crazed Gunman Slays Seven, Wounds 6, Dies". The Deseret News. November 7, 1948. p. 2.
  21. ^ Evans, Orrin (November 8, 1948). "'Numbers' Racket Angle In Massacre Denied By Police". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 15, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b "Killings Follow Disputed Wager". The Age. November 8, 1948. p. 1.
  23. ^ "Crazed Killer Slays 8, Wounds 3, Ends Own Life". The Telegraph-Herald. November 7, 1948. p. 1.
  24. ^ "Crazed Man Kills Eight, Self". Eugene Register-Guard. November 7, 1948. p. 5.
  25. ^ "Crazed Man Kills 8 in Hour-Long Reign of Terror". The Altus Times-Democrat. November 7, 1948. p. 1.
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