July 24, 1998: The U.S. Capitol Shooting

July 24, 1998: Russell Weston kills 2 U.S. Capitol Police officers: Jacob Chestnut, 58; and John Gibson, 42. Both men lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, making Chestnut the 1st black person so honored.

Weston, then 41, was from Valmeyer, Illinois, outside St. Louis. He had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He told a court-appointed psychiatrist that he stormed the Capitol to prevent the United States from being annihilated by disease and legions of cannibals.

He would have fit in perfectly with the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, the next time a Capitol Policeman died in the line of duty. He remains in the federal prison at Butner, North Carolina.

July 24, 1998 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher, supported by 2 home runs from Darryl Strawberry and another by Paul O'Neill. Derek Jeter went 0-for-3, but did draw a walk.

* The New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 and 7-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In the opening, Armando Reynoso threw 8 innings of 5-hit shutout ball. Dennis Cook pitched a hitless 9th. Sammy Sosa went 1-for-4 in each game, but didn't hit a home run in either game.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-6 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Phillies swept a doubleheader from the Florida Marlins, 6-4 and 7-6 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Both games went 12 innings. Scott Rolen won the 1st game with a home run. In the 2nd game, the Marlins took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th. But Ruben Amaro Jr. homered to lead off the bottom of the 12th, Doug Glanville singled, Desi Relaford bunted him over to 2nd, Scott Rolen was walked intentionally, and Rico Brogna singled Amaro home.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners, 7-4 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Rafael Palmeiro cheated his way to 2 home runs. Cal Ripken Jr. went 1-for-3 with a walk. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4.

* The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-0 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tony Saunders pitched 6 2/3rds innings of 5-hit shutout ball. Jim Mecir pitched 2 1/3 no-hit innings to complete the shutout. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-2 with 3 walks and 2 stolen bases.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-0 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. John Smoltz pitched a 3-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking none.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Travis Fryman won it with a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.

* A doubleheader was split at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Milwaukee Brewers won the 1st game, 10-7. The Montreal Expos won the 2nd game, 11-2.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers, 5-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Anaheim Angels, 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-3 at Coors Field in Denver. Mark McGwire went 0-for-4.

* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 2-1 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 12-2 at Candlestick Park (then named 3Com Park at Candlestick Point) in San Francisco. Jeff Kent hit 2 home runs, with 7 RBIs. Barry Bonds went 2-for-3 with a walk, but did not hit a home run.