Rathanar Or was 9 years old when he was killed on January 17, 1989, during the Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton, California. A lone gunman, Patrick Purdy, entered the school playground during recess and fired 106 rounds in about three minutes from a Type 56 assault rifle, killing five children, including Rathanar, and wounding 31 others, among them one teacher. Victims were mainly from Southeast Asian immigrant families.

Purdy set his van on fire with a Molotov cocktail before moving to the playground and, after the attack, shot himself in the head. The massacre prompted laws and executive action later in 1989 aimed at restricting assault weapons and had lasting effects on survivors, many of whom experienced long-term psychological trauma.

If anyone knew Rathanar or his family, or has information about the impact on the Stockton community, please share what is known.