| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- Seven people, including a suspected shooter, died when a man opened
fire from a slow-moving car Friday night in a small Southern California
college town, a rampage that authorities believe to be "premeditated
mass murder," Santa Barbara County ...
7 dead in California shooting rampage called 'premeditated mass murder'
updated 10:53 AM EDT, Sat May 24, 2014
Source: CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The shootings occurred near University of California, Santa Barbara
- Evidence suggests "premeditated mass murder," sheriff's spokeswoman says
- The suspected gunman was one of the seven dead; seven others were injured
The shootings occurred in
Isla Vista near the University of California-Santa Barbara. Seven
people also were being treated in a hospital for gunshot wounds or
traumatic injuries, including at least one who was in surgery, said
sheriff's office spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
"The sheriff's office has
obtained and is currently analyzing written and video evidence that
suggests this was a premeditated mass murder," Hoover said.
Hoover apparently was referring to a YouTube video titled "Retribution" posted by a young man, CNN affiliate KEYT-TV
reported. In the nearly seven-minute video, the young man rants about
women who ignored or rejected him over the past eight years and warns
that he will "punish you all for it."
Police: Shooting a mass murder situation
Drive-by shooting stuns California town
The violence began and
ended within minutes, from 9:27 p.m. when shots were reported to around
10 minutes later when police discovered the body of the suspected
gunman, whom authorities described as mentally disturbed, CNN affiliate
KEYT-TV said. Police said there were nine separate crime scenes.
"Sheriff's deputies
responded and found several victims suffering from gunshot wounds. As
sheriff's deputies were attending to the victims and performing first
aid, they were also receiving suspect information. Only minutes later,
there were additional reports of shots fired in several other areas of
Isla Vista," Hoover said.
U.S. law enforcement
officials said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
and FBI were assisting local police in the investigation, including
trying to trace the handgun used and where the possible suspect obtained
it.
Robert Johnson told CNN
he was standing on a corner when he heard what he thought were
fireworks. Then a black BMW with tinted windows drove by and either
slowed down or stopped outside a deli where as many as eight people were
eating outside. Someone in the car opened fire.
"It all happened very
quickly, but I think this happened to be the largest group on the
street," he said. "It think it was just targeted because it was the
largest group in the area."
People jumped up and ran, Johnson recalled.
"I don't recall hearing
any screaming," he said. "It was at that point where I turned and ran in
the opposite direction. ... There's a lot of confusion. Even shortly
after this whole ordeal had ended, I think a lot of people didn't
realize the magnitude of the situation."
KEYT reporter John
Palminteri told CNN that some witnesses reported hearing the gunman talk
to some of his victims as he fired. Outside a 7-11 convenience store,
he said, workers came out amid the gunfire to pull to safety a girl who
had been shot in the leg. Another victim, a bicyclist, apparently
sustained massive head injuries after being struck by the gunman's car.
One woman told the
station that a driver of a car flashed a gun at her and asked, "Hey,
what's up?" before opening fire. She escaped unharmed.
"I heard some pops, but I
just assumed they were fireworks," said Daniel Slovinsky, who was
eating at a restaurant. "Contrary to what you might expect, there wasn't
a whole lot of chaos immediately. I didn't hear any screaming. A few
people were running. ... It wasn't really until police started yelling
at people to get inside that we realized something big went down. But
even then people didn't know what."
KEYT reported that
"witnesses described seeing a black BMW speeding through the streets,
spraying bullets at people and various targets." Six minutes after the
first emergency call, the suspected gunman traded fire with sheriff's
deputies, and the vehicle plowed into a parked vehicle, said Hoover, the
sheriff's office spokeswoman.
The suspected gunman was
found dead from an apparent gunshot wound, she said, adding that it
wasn't clear whether the death was self-inflicted or whether deputies
killed the suspected gunman. A semiautomatic handgun was recovered, she
said.
It appears the suspect acted alone, Hoover said.
"This is a very active and complex investigation involving approximately nine different crime scenes," she said.
Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown called the suspect "severely mentally disturbed," according to KEYT.
Authorities searching
for a motive were looking into a video posted on social media that
contains a man's tirade against women who supposedly rebuffed him, Brown
told the station. Hoover said the suspect has been preliminarily
identified but his name won't be released until "a positive
identification is made."
The identities of the victims won't be released until the next of kin are notified, she said.
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