Kathleen Lynn Austin, 32, was one of five people killed in a mass shooting at the Starburst Lounge in Northeast El Paso on February 3, 1980. The attack began about 1:30 a.m. when 21-year-old Barry Chvarak entered the bar and opened fire with a .22-caliber rifle, reportedly firing about 15 shots at random. Five people were killed and three wounded; the other fatalities were Marianne Laweka, 53; Jana L. Carpenter, 29; Frederik Bergford, 28; and Randy Wayne Steele, 20.

Police said the gunman had no prior connection to the victims and that witnesses described him calmly walking into the lounge and firing without provocation. Chvarak was arrested and charged with five counts of murder and jailed on $1 million bond, with $200,000 set for each count. The shooting was the largest mass killing in El Paso at the time and sharply raised the city’s murder total for the year.