Santa Monica College shooting - 5 killed, including gunman

  • 11 years ago
Four people were killed in Santa Monica in a series of shootings before the gunman was gunned down in a shootout with police at the Santa Monica college library on the morning of June 7.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, the gunman was described as white or Latino with curly hair, and was carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. He was also reportedly wearing black cargo pants, a helmet, tactical vest, and an ammunition belt around his waist.

The events began in the morning around 11:50 a.m., when at least one resident reportedly saw a man shooting at a house on Yorkshire Avenue. The house then quickly erupted in flames. Police later discovered the bodies of two men inside, who were said to be the gunman's father and brother.

After shooting at the house, the gunman went to a street corner where he witnesses say he pointed his rifle at a woman driving down the street, forcing her to stop, then motioned for another car to stop. He then opened fire on the other vehicle, injuring the driver in the shoulder. The gunman went on to carjack a blue Mazda, forcing its driver, Laura Siszk, 41, to drive him to Santa Monica College and let him out. After being forced to put his bag in the back seat of her car, Siszk tried to convince the gunman to simply take her vehicle and let her go. However, he forced her back into the driver's seat.

Siszk said that the gunman partially exited the car once at a red light along Pico Boulevard to shoot into the street. Some other reports claim the gunman stopped to shoot into the street on at least two occasions on Pico Boulevard. Passengers on the No. 7 transit bus that was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Cloverfield Boulevard witnessed the gunman shooting up the left side of the bus, injuring several people inside.

When Siszk and the gunman reached a dead end at the college, she says she was made to take his bag from the car and leave it on the curb. She then jumped back into the car and drove as far down the street as she could before exiting the vehicle and running. She added that she was physically unhurt.

At a parking lot adjacent to the Santa Monica College library, the gunman fired upon a red Ford Explorer SUV, causing it to lose control and crash into a low wall. The driver, a woman, was killed by gunshot wounds to the torso, while the passenger was injured.

The gunman then fatally shot a young woman as he made his way into the college library. Students ducked for and ran for safety as he began firing rounds inside the building. Some students reportedly didn't know what was happening immediately because they were wearing headphones.

The gunman was finally gunned down in a shootout inside the building with city and college police. Officials carried his body outside onto the sidewalk, where he succumbed to his wounds. Authorities say the entire ordeal lasted only about 10 minutes. Later in the afternoon, a man wearing black sweatshirt with the words "life is a gamble' printed on the back was detained as a person of interest, then released. The gunman's motives for the shootings is still under investigation, although reports say it stemmed from a family dispute.

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