— 6-7 NBC Los Angeles. “Isla Vista Rampage Victims Identified.” 5-26-2014.[1]

— 6-7 Santa Barbara Co. Sheriff’s Office. Isla Vista Mass Murder May 23, 2014… 2-18-2015.[2]

NBC: “Six UC Santa Barbara students who were slain in a stabbing and shooting spree by a lone gunman in Isla Vista on Friday night have been identified.” (NBC Los Angeles. “Isla Vista Rampage Victims Identified.” 5-26-2014.)

C.H., male, 20, stabbed.[3]

George Chen, male, 19, stabbed.

Kathrine Breann Cooper, female, 22, shot.

Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, male, 20, shot.

Weihan Wang, male, 20, stabbed.

Veronika Elizabeth Weiss, female, 19, shot.

Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger, male, 22, gunman, self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

(NBC Los Angeles. “Isla Vista Rampage Victims Identified.” 5-26-2014.)

Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office: “Presented here after months of diligent investigation is a detailed summary of one of the most horrific crimes ever to occur in Santa Barbara County. It documents what transpired on May 23, 2014, when a 22-year old college student embarked on a premeditated, murderous rampage by stabbing three people to death inside his Isla Vista apartment. He then committed a series of drive-by shootings and deliberately struck numerous people with his car, killing three additional victims and wounding fourteen more. During this time he engaged in two separate gun-battles with sheriff’s deputies, and was wounded before ultimately taking his own life

“Sadly, terrible crimes such as this occur far too frequently. A recent FBI report indicates that 160 mass or active shootings occurred in public places in the USA between 2000 and 2013, resulting in the murder of 486 people and the wounding of 557 others. Most disturbingly, the study showed that the annual rate of these crimes is trending upwards

“In the aftermath of such senseless tragedies, the question always asked is, “What can be done to

save lives by preventing similar crimes in the future?” Unfortunately, there is no single or simple solution to the complex problems that lie beneath that question. In California, we have some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, yet in this case the suspect was still able to legally purchase and possess three handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Many suspects in mass murder incidents suffer from severe mental illness that is untreated or under-treated, yet in this instance the suspect was receiving treatment and had been since childhood.

“Nevertheless, more can and must be done to ensure that those who died were not lost in vain. In

the wake of this tragedy, steps are being taken that provide so me hope for the future. Legislation

was passed encouraging peace officers to make greater use of the state’s firearms registry during

welfare checks, and giving law enforcement officers and families the ability to obtain gun violence restraining orders allowing firearms to be temporarily impounded in certain cases where

public safety is believed to be at risk. Efforts are also under way to remove more guns from “armed and prohibited” persons, and to blend law enforcement and mental health professionals into effective crisis response teams. There remain a number of additional unmet needs we must strive to address in the future. These include greater recognition and early intervention in cases of mental illness, improved community-based treatment, and providing more forensic mental health facilities and programs as alternatives to jail.

“What is unusual in this case is the extent of the written and video-taped record of thoughts, feelings and intentions left by a suspect who, in retrospect, clearly suffered from significant mental illness that ultimately resulted in homicidal and suicidal rage. It is our hope that a thorough review of these materials by mental health professionals and the F.B.I.’s Behavioral Research and Instruction Unit (BRIU), in essence the conducting of a psychological autopsy, will result in findings that will assist in the development of new and improved intervention techniques and practices related to the cause, identification and treatment of such pathologies….” (Page 1 of Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown Introduction in: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (Bill Brown, Sheriff and Coroner). Isla Vista Mass Murder May 23, 2014, Investigative Summary. 2-18-2015.)

Sources

NBC Los Angeles. “Isla Vista Rampage Victims Identified.” 5-26-2014. Accessed at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Isla-Vista-Mass-Shooting-Victims-Identified-260553411.html

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (Bill Brown, Sheriff and Coroner). Isla Vista Mass Murder May 23, 2014, Investigative Summary. 2-18-2015, 68 pages. Accessed 6-1-2015 at: http://www.sbsheriff.us/documents/ISLAVISTAINVESTIGATIVESUMMARY.pdf

[1] Six victims and the killer, who was wounded and then took his own life.

[2] Six victims and the killer, who was wounded and then took his own life.

[3] Victims parents requested he only be named by his initials.

2014 — May 23, Mass Murder, Univ. of California-Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA– 6-7