Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
01/28/1974: An assailaint shot and killed Tana Smith, a white woman, at a bus stop at the corner of Geary Boulevard and Divisadero Street in San Francisco, California, United States. The perpetrator, who used a .32 caliber firearm in the attack, fled on foot, but was later identified by eye-witnesses to be J.C. Simon. Anthony C. Harris, witness for the prosecution during the trial, said that he was back at the car waiting for Simon and Manuel Moore to return, after he heard the gunshots. Both Simon and Moore were accused of the murder in trial. The perpetrators were black Muslims who followed the Nation of Islam and believed that they had to "destroy the enemy" and "kill devils," which they interpreted as white people. This was the twelfth in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) targeting white people by black Muslims who came to be known as the Zebra Killers. It was the first of five attacks on this day.Overview
GTD ID:
197401280005
When:
1974-01-28
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
California
City:
San Francisco
Location Details:
On Geary Boulevard and Divisadero Street
What
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Not applicable | ||
| Specific Description | white woman, Tana Smith | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | No |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Firearms | Handgun |
| Weapon Details | |
| .32 caliber gun | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | J.C. Simon and Manuel Moore were indicted for the murder of Tana Smith. The eight Zebra killers were black Muslims, who belonged to the San Francisco chapter of the independent socio-religious sect, the Nation of Islam. The perpetrators followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, and believed that their deity motivated them to kill the "devil," which the men interpreted to mean white people. The Nation of Islam paid for the legal representation of most members during their trials for these attacks. This was the thirteenth incident in a series of 20 racially motivated attacks (with 23 victims) by the perpetrators who came to be known as the Zebra killers. See also events 197310200002, 197310220003, 197310290003, 197311250004, 197312110002, 197312130001, 197312130002, 197312200003, 197312200004, 197312220002, 197312220003, 197312230001, 197401280001, 197401280002, 197401280003, 197401280004, 197404010003, 197404140003, and 197404160003. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Zebra killers | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 2 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 2 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 1 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 0 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen, "The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights," Arcade Publishing, Inc., 2006. |
| Clark Howard, "Zebra: The true account of the 179 days of terror in San Francisco," Richard Marek Publishers, 1979. |
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