In '' Communion '' , Strieber wrote of having told friends over the years that he had witnessed the University of Texas tower shooting in Austin , Texas on August 1 , 1966 , when he had in fact not been on campus that day : Strieber presents his claim to have witnessed the Whitman shooting in '' Communion '' in the context of alien abduction screen memories , expressing puzzlement at having repeated this false claim over the years . In two interviews prior to '' Communion '' , however , Strieber described in graphic detail what he purportedly witnessed . In a 1985 interview with Douglas Winter published in '' Faces of Fear '' , Strieber described : Critics including panelists on the British television discussion programme '' After Dark '' questioned Strieber about his statements in '' Communion '' about not having been at the Whitman shooting . Strieber announced that in his latest book , '' Transformation '' , he had changed his mind and decided he had witnessed the shooting . Despite this , according to public information , no " little boy on a bicycle " was killed by Whitman that day . Further , according to Ed Conroy in his '' Report on Communion '' , Strieber 's mother stated during an interview that Strieber had been in Austin the day of the shooting , but not on campus
University of Texas tower shooting
University of Texas tower shooting
Whitley Strieber