Moscone initially agreed to White 's request , but later refused the appointment at the urging of Milk and others . On November 27 , 1978 , White visited San Francisco City Hall with the later-declared intention of killing not only Moscone and Milk , but also two other San Francisco politicians , California Assembly Speaker and later S.F. mayor Willie Brown , and Supervisor Carol Ruth Silver , whom he also blamed for lobbying Moscone not to reappoint him . He arrived that day by climbing through a first-floor window on the side of City Hall carrying a Smith & Wesson Model 36 .38 caliber revolver and 10 rounds of ammunition . By entering the building through the window , White managed to avoid the recently-installed metal detectors . After entering Moscone 's office , White pleaded to be reinstated as supervisor , but Moscone refused . White then killed Moscone by shooting him in the shoulder and chest , and twice in the head . He then walked to the other side of City Hall to Milk 's office , reloaded the gun , and fatally shot Milk five times , the final two shots fired with the gun 's barrel touching Milk 's skull , according to the medical examiner . White then fled City Hall , turning himself in at the San Francisco 's Northern Police Station where he had been a police officer . While being interviewed by investigators , White recorded a tearful confession , stating , " I just shot him . " At the trial , White 's defense team argued that his mental state at the time of the killings was one of diminished capacity due to depression . They argued , therefore , he was not capable of premeditating the killings , and thus was not legally guilty of first-degree murder . Forensic psychiatrist Martin Blinder testified that White was suffering from depression and pointed to several behavioral symptoms of that depression , including the fact that White had gone from being highly health-conscious to consuming sugary foods and drinks . When the prosecution played a recording of White 's confession , several jurors wept as they listened to what was described as " a man pushed beyond his endurance " . Many people familiar with City Hall claimed that it was common to enter through the window to save time . A police officer friend of White claimed to reporters that several officials carried weapons at this time and speculated that White carried the extra ammunition as a habit that police officers had . The jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder . Outrage within San Francisco 's gay community over the resulting seven-year sentence sparked the city 's White Night riots ; general disdain for the outcome of the court case led to the elimination of California 's " diminished capacity " law . Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz , a critic of forensic psychiatry , gave a speech to a large audience in San Francisco in June 1979 calling the White verdict a " travesty of justice " which he blamed on the diminished capacity defense
White Night riots
White Night riots
Dan White