Four Dead in Senior Brawl

SHAWNEE, OK—A fight broke out at approximately 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning in the dining area of Sunny Day Breakfast Cafe on North Harrison. In the aftermath, 4 were dead, 3 hospitalized, and as many as 7 others sustained injury.

Among the dead are Jim Stimpson, 74, Kenneth Ross, 76, Hank Reider, 68, and Larry Reider, 74.

Frank Dwyer, 73, was life-flighted to OU Medical Center and is listed in critical condition, with multiple puncture wounds and cerebral swelling. Cindy Swanson, 24, and police officer Vance Wingate, 36, were also hospitalized and have since been released.

In connection with the incident, Dwyer has been charged with multiple counts, including murder. Dan Hickman, 72, was also arrested and faces several assault charges. He is currently free on bail. John Gutiari, 69, and Charlie Richards, 73, were questioned in relation to the events of Sunday morning but were later released.

Details of the altercation are sketchy, but it is alleged the fight began with an argument between Frank Dwyer and Jim Stimpson. Dwyer and Stimpson would meet each Sunday morning for breakfast with a group of friends before joining their families for church. The group would usually include 7 other Shawnee Denizens.

Absent from the morning in question due to illness was Carol O’Hare, 72. Later reached for comment, O’Hare states, “We were friends from boyhood, most of us. Even the newbies had been around the last 30 years.” He continues, “Arguments, always, but I never would have guessed something like this would happen.”

Most that were witness agree the violence ensued after an argument concerning eggs and salt. Group member John Gutiari explains, “It was a running joke. Frank [Dwyer] was our cook when we’d go camping together. Some of us felt he would over salt the eggs. Every time we’d have breakfast together Jim [Stimpson] would say, ‘Do you want eggs with your salt?’”

A patron at Sunny Day Breakfast Cafe during the altercation recounts, “They were all laughing and [Dwyer] just snapped and stabbed [Stimpson] in the thy.”

At this time it can only be speculated as to how things progressed to the death of 4 seniors, but after the initial stabbing, the group turned riotous and everyday eating utensils were transformed into implements of bodily destruction.

With the help of other patrons, Cindy Swanson attempted to stop the senior carnage by introducing reason and promptly received a fork in the eye. The first police officer on the scene, Vance Wingate, would have a butter knife shoved in his sternum as well as sustain multiple bite wounds on the hands and face as a result of his efforts at peace. By the time the police had forcibly detained the group, the damage resembled something out of a modern day slasher film.

Lieutenant Sam Steifer recounts, “I’ve seen a lot of things in my 20 years on the job, but I have never seen anything like this.”

As best can be ascertained, the wounds sustained by the dead are as follows: Jim Stimpson, 37 stab wounds to legs, chest and face, Kenneth Ross, gunshot wound to chest and mutilation of testicles and earlobes, Hank Reider, blunt force trauma to the chest, neck and head, and Larry Reider, heart attack.

An attendant at Sunny Day Breakfast Cafe, who asked not to be named, had the following to say, “They were always such a fun group. Full of energy, you know? It was nice ambience to listen to their same old stories every Sunday. I just don’t understand how this could have happened.”

When asked if the surviving members would continue to meet for Sunday breakfast, Guitiari replied, “I don’t think Sunny Day Breakfast Cafe would have us back.”

As mentioned in the summary, the above story is entirely a product of the author's imagination. Beyond there being a Shawnee, Oklahoma and a Harrison Street, everything from the character names to the restaurant to the activities happening within it are made up for the purpose of your entertainment.