On February 3, 1980, a mass shooting occurred at the Starburst Lounge bar in El Paso, Texas. 21-year-old Barry Chvarak, armed with a .22-caliber Marlin Model 60 semi-automatic rifle, killed five and injured three others before being arrested. The victims were Randy Steele, 20, Kathleen Austin, 32, Marianne Laweka, 53, Jana Carpenter, 29 and Fredrick Bergford, 28. In July 1980, Chvarak pleaded guilty to the crime. He was then sentenced to five consecutive life sentences.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in El Paso County until the 2019 El Paso shooting.