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Out of the Blue: 50 Years After the UT Tower Shooting (Audio)

When a shooter took aim at the University of Texas of Austin campus from the top of the UT Tower on Aug. 1, 1966, no one had any reference point for such an attack. The Texas Standard spoke to people who were there that day.

By Texas Standard
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Southbound view through one of the UT Tower rain spouts that Charles Whitman used to fire on his victims in 1966. Photo taken June 22, 2016.
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / KUT

When a shooter took aim at the University of Texas of Austin campus from the top of the UT Tower on Aug. 1, 1966,  no one had any reference point for such an attack. The Texas Standard spoke to people who were there that day as part of a documentary.

Listen to the documentary below, and see stories, videos and documents at towershooting.org. Also, read a Texas Tribune story about the armed civilian who helped stop tower sniper Charles Whitman 50 years ago.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

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