UPDATE: May 26, 2014 at 5:36 p.m.
Seven people are dead, including the suspected gunman, and several people are still recovering from injuries following a series of shootings and stabbings in Isla Vista on Friday night. One of the hospitalized victims was still in serious condition as of Saturday.
Investigators believe 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, a Santa Barbara City College student from Woodland Hills who was living in Isla Vista, started his killing spree by stabbing to death his two roommates and a third man.
The stabbing victims are 20-year-old Cheng Yuan Hong and 19-year-old George Chen, both from San Jose, and 20-year-old Weihan Wang of Fremont. All three victims were UCSB students.
They were found dead with multiple stab wounds in Rodger’s apartment located on Seville Road in Isla Vista. The sheriff's department says Hong and Chen are listed on the lease for the apartment, along with Rodger. Investigators were in the process of determining whether Wang was also a roommate or was visiting the residence, as of the last update from spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
Investigators believe Rodger then went to the Alpha Phi sorority house located in the 800 block of Embarcadero Del Norte. Several women in the sorority reported hearing aggressive knocking on the front door for several minutes. No one opened the door however and Rodger left. Shortly afterwards, witnesses reported seeing three women shot by the suspect across the street.
Two of the women, 22-year-old Katherine Cooper of Chino Hills and 19-year-old Veronika Weiss of Westlake Village died from their injuries. A third victim received several gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital.
Rodger then traveled to a nearby deli on Pardall Road, according to the sheriff's department. It appears he got out of his car and entered the deli where he shot and killed 20-year-old Christopher Michaels-Martinez, of Los Osos.
Investigators say Rodger then randomly fired at people from his car, while driving through Isla Vista. He also hit people with the car, including a couple of bicyclists.
The deputies who were in pursuit of Rodger were able to catch up with him after his car crashed into several parked vehicles.
"Responding deputies immediately removed Rodger from the car and handcuffed him," Hoover said in an update to reporters. "They discovered Rodger was dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head."
Rodger was heavily armed, according to investigators. He had three 9mm semi-automatic handguns in his car. Two of the guns were Sig-Sauer P226 models, and one was a Glock 34 long-slide—all purchased legally at federally licensed firearms dealers, and registered in his name.
The sheriff’s office has obtained and is currently analyzing written and video evidence that suggests this was a pre-meditated mass murder.
