June 10

On June 10, 1977, James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee. Ray, serving a 99-year sentence, scaled prison walls and slipped into the surrounding Cumberland Mountains. His escape triggered a massive manhunt by local and federal authorities. Over the next three days, Ray attempted to evade capture while moving through rugged terrain. He was finally apprehended on June 13, hidden in a barn near Evensville, Tennessee. The brief escape renewed public attention on security measures within maximum-security prisons.

On June 10, 2009, 88-year-old James Wenneker von Brunn entered the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. He opened fire in the museum lobby, fatally shooting Special Police Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns. Johns was the first known law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty at a U.S. Holocaust museum. Other security personnel returned fire, wounding von Brunn before he could escape. Von Brunn was apprehended, charged with homicide and hate crime offenses, and later sentenced to prison. The incident prompted a review of security measures at museums and memorials nationwide.

On June 10, 2025, a gunman opened fire at a secondary school in Graz, Austria, resulting in the deaths of ten victims and the shooter himself. Eleven others sustained injuries before authorities secured the premises. The victims included students and staff attending morning classes. Police responded promptly and forensic teams began investigating the perpetrator's background and motives. Emergency services provided immediate medical care and airlifted the critically injured to local hospitals. The tragedy sparked national discussions on school security and mental health support in Austria.