What his neighbors said after Francisco Martin Duran was arrested for spraying the White House with a semiautomatic rifle is what neighbors always seem to say when some strange hell contaminates their little part of the planet: "He was a quiet man." But clearly some demons had taken hold. An ex-infantryman dishonorably discharged from the Army, Frank Duran vanished from his home in a peaceful Colorado Springs suburb, leaving his wife and 5-year-old son. He was next seen removing a Chinese-made assault weapon from beneath a trench coat on Pennsylvania Avenue. Then he began peppering the presidential mansion with gunfire.
Authorities believe he may have been trying to kill Bill Clinton, who was inside the building. But they are unsure about the gunman's mental health. Facing four felony charges, Duran may yet be charged with attempted murder of the president. If found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial, he almost surely will be confined to a mental-health institution specializing in the treatment of violent criminals. And the world likely will never know what strange grievances, real or perceived, drove the quiet man from Colorado to open fire on the most famous mansion in the land.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Lynette Fromme. "Squeaky" serving life sentence in Florida for pointing loaded pistol at Gerald Ford in 1975.
Sara Jane Moore. Serving life term in California for firing a shot at Ford two weeks after Fromme's arrest.
John Hinckley. Confined to a mental hospital in Washington, D.C., after 1981 shooting of Ronald Reagan.
