Santa Line Slaying

The Santa Line Slaying was a highly publicized physical altercation that occurred in the line at a Higbee's department store waiting to meet Santa on December 21, 1971, in Cleveland, Ohio. The incident resulted in the death of one man, Jack Fitzpatrick, with the other man involved, Tyrone Howard, suffering a scrotal injury. Howard was convicted of manslaughter and served 11 months in prison. In 2005, the incident attracted some attention again when it was revealed that Tyrone Howard is the father of actor Terrence Howard, who witnessed the incident as a young boy. Terrence Howard gave an interview on Oprah about the incident, but his account of what happened was later contradicted by his father, who accused him of trying to garner publicity for his own career.