| Kelayres massacre | |
|---|---|
 Funerals for three victims, at the site of the killings. Bruno's house has the white roof. | |
| Location | Kelayres, Pennsylvania, US |
| Coordinates | 40°54′03″N 76°00′14″W / 40.90083°N 76.00389°W |
| Date | November 5, 1934 After 9 PM |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Injured | 12–25 |
| Perpetrators | Joseph James Bruno and family |
The Kelayres massacre was a shooting attack that took place the evening of November 5, 1934 in the coal-mining village of Kelayres, Pennsylvania, United States. An election-eve parade and rally by Democrats was fired on by multiple shooters as it passed the home of Joseph James Bruno, known as "Big Joe", the local Republican boss. Three victims died almost immediately and two others died over the next two days.[1]
The attack received national news coverage, and accounts of it shared the front page with early election news in several major newspapers.[2][3][4] The top newly elected Pennsylvania Democrats attended the funerals.[5][6] Six members of the Bruno family were eventually found guilty of multiple murder charges in four trials, with Bruno and his brother Phil receiving life sentences.
Bruno escaped from prison, leading to the then-largest manhunt in Pennsylvania history. He was caught eight months later.
All of the Bruno family members were eventually paroled. None ever admitted guilt, and no motive was ever formally established.
- ^ Dino 2009.
- ^ "3 Die, 27 Wounded as Bullets Sweep Political Parade". New York Times. November 6, 1934. pp. 1, 3.
- ^ "Guns Spray Vote March; Three Slain". Los Angeles Times. November 6, 1934. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "Fire on Voters' Parade; 3 Die". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 6, 1934. pp. 1, 6.
- ^ "National Affairs, Crime, Parade". Time. November 19, 1934. p. 16.
- ^ "10,000 at Funeral of Election Dead". New York Times. November 10, 1934. p. 32.