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Santa Barbara Shooter Elliot Rodger Killed 6 Students In Massacre
Tragedy struck on the campus of the University of California Santa Barbara on May 23. A crazed gunman by the name of Elliot Rodger allegedly shot and killed six people out of sexual frustration.
Elliot Rodger, 22, allegedly gunned down six people on the campus of the University of California Santa Barbara on the night of May 23. In his own words, Elliot admitted to the act, saying that he did it because women refused to have sex with him.
Santa Barbara Shooter Elliot Rodger Killed 6 Sorority Girls In Massacre
The victims, whose names have not been released yet, were six sorority girls, reports TMZ. The shooter was also killed in the aftermath of the tragic event, dying of a gunshot wound to the head, but just hours before he released a chilling video detailing just how he was going to carry out his crime.
“We have obtained and we are currently analyzing both written and videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.
The Sheriff added in an early morning press conference that gunfire erupted shortly before 9:30 p.m. in Isla Vista, Calif., an area near the UC Santa Barbara Campus.
Elliot allegedly fired dozens of shots while driving and walking through the area, leaving behind a series of nine crime scenes spread across Isla Vista.
Bill added that the YouTube video titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution” appears “to be connected at this time,” but did not elaborate further.
“The shooter” reportedly fled the crime scene in a vehicle after getting in a shootout with sheriff’s deputies. Deputies gave chase in their vehicles until the gunman’s car slammed into one parked on the side of an unknown street.
When deputies approached the vehicle they found “the shooter” dead in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the head, reports the Washington Post.
Eyewitness described the scene as something out of a cowboy movie. Xavier Mozejewski revealed to Santa Barbara local news station KEYT that it looked like an “old Western shoot-out,” the Post reports.
Witnesses also described seeing a black BMW, allegedly belonging to Elliot, speeding through the streets, firing bullets at people and various targets in the small university community.
Multiple witnesses say that they saw two people inside of the suspect’s BMW. However, Bill would neither confirm nor deny whether there was a passenger in the car with the shooter.
But what was the cause for all of this madness? According to the DailyMail, Elliot was allegedly against women for not having sex with him — a point which he made very clear on his social media sites.
His social media rants mentioned his “loneliness, rejection, and unfulfilled desires,” and blames women for preferring “obnoxious brutes” to him, “the supreme gentlemen.”
In his now infamous video Elliot says, “I’m 22 years old and I’m still a virgin. I’ve never even kissed a girl.”
“College is the time when everyone experiences those things such as sex and fun and pleasure. But in those years I’ve had to rot in loneliness. It’s not fair. You girls have never been attracted to me. I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me. But I will punish you all for it,” Elliot continued to rant in the video that goes on for almost seven minutes.
TMZ also learned that Elliot has a surprising connection to a hit film franchise.
“We’ve learned [Elliot] Roger is the son of Peter Rodger, the second unit director of the first installment of “Hunger Games,” TMZ reports.
The shooting was so tragic and shocking that it even hit home with music sensation Katy Perry, whose hometown is Santa Barbara. The “Dark Horse” singer even tweeted about the tragic incident.
Sad about my SB hometown shootings today 😔 Sending my prayers.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) May 24, 2014
The University of California Santa Barbara released this official statement after the shootings:
“Our campus community is shocked and saddened by the events that occurred last night in the nearby community of Isla Vista. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families who are grieving and mourning as a result of this tragedy. We have been working throughout the night to provide support to our students and community. Those efforts will continue today and throughout the coming days and weeks. In addition to counseling services, the University is providing temporary housing for displaced students. We are grateful to the first responders who handled the incident, including the sheriff’s department and UCSB officers. The investigation is ongoing and we will continue to work with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara County officials and our colleagues at Santa Barbara City College.“
UPDATE: Elliot Rodger killed six UCSB students — Christopher Michaels-Martinez and TriDelta sorority members Veronika Weiss and Katie Cooper were fatally shot. Cheng Yuan Hong, George Chen and Weihan Wang were stabbed to death.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.
— Bryant Perkins
