A Hollywood director believes his son was the lone gunman who went on a shooting rampage near the University of California at Santa Barbara that killed six people – weeks after the family had called police about disturbing YouTube videos he had posted, his lawyer said Saturday.
Deputies found the gunman dead behind the wheel of his crashed BMW with a gunshot wound to his head Friday night in the beach community of Isla Vista, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. The rampage also left seven others hospitalized with gunshot wounds or other major injuries, including one who underwent a life-saving surgery.
Alan Shifman – a lawyer who represents Peter Rodger, one of the assistant directors on “The Hunger Games” – issued a statement on behalf of the family saying they believe Rodger’s son, Elliot Rodger, was the shooter.
“On behalf of the Rodgers family they want to make sure that the victims and the victims’ families are aware that this is the tragedy of the most extreme,” Shifman said. “They want to send their deepest condolences to all of the victims’ families involved.”
Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the shooter.
The shootings started around 9:30 p.m. in Isla Vista, a roughly half-square mile community next to UC Santa Barbara’s campus and picturesque beachside cliffs.
Alexander Mattera, 23, said his friend Chris Johnson, was walking out of an improv comedy show when he was shot in front of a popular pizza place. He stumbled into a nearby house.
Authorities have not confirmed the attacker’s identity but the sheriff said authorities were investigating the video. “It would appear that is connected,” Brown said.
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