Jacksonville, FL – 8 April 2019 – On a June morning in 1990, 42 year old James Edward Pough, a borrower who had almost six months earlier, had his 1988 Pontiac repossessed, casually walked into the offices of General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) where about 85 people were going about their day to day business. Within minutes, eight were killed and more injured. The memory of this nightmare still resonates with the people of Jacksonville to this day. Now, a local reporter has turned playwright to honor it’s victims.
The 1990 GMAC mass shooting in Jacksonville was labeled the worst mass shooting to ever take place in Florida until the shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
According to The New York Times, James Pough killed eight people and wounded six others before shooting himself to death.
Now, Local writer Tim Gilmore has created a new, original play that tells the story of the GMAC mass shooting.
The Repossession of James Edward Pough: Mass Shooting in Baymeadows is a piece of documentary theater that explores the genesis and aftermath of the 1990 mass murder.
The play takes into account the actual words of survivors, family members of victims, first responders, and people who knew the shooter.
On this morning’s edition of First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, Gilmore said, “nothing I could write would be as powerful as their words. The words of the people who were connected to the event are the majority of the play.”
Ken McCulough, Professor of Theater at FSCJ and the production’s director said, “these people are still around this area, and still live here, so that sense of obligation and respect when we are playing people who are actually alive and were affected by this and will be affected by it for the rest of their lives, it’s been an exciting experience for me and the cast.”
The play will be held for four days, April 11 through April 14, at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Tim Gilmore’s original play will be produced by FSCJ dramaWORKS.
Source: WJCT
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