Gunman Opens Fire Near College, 6 Killed

07 Jun, 2013

A man with a semi-automatic rifle killed at least six people and wounded several others Friday as he carried out a deadly rampage across several blocks of a normally idyllic beachfront city before police shot him dead in the Santa Monica College Library.

The violence began when the gunman, dressed in all black and wearing what appeared to be a ballistic jacket, opened fire on a house where two bodies were found, Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said.

As the house burst into flames, the man wounded a woman in a car before moving toward the campus, spraying bullets as he went. Police said he opened fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles, as well as bystanders and pedestrians.

He killed three people on the street before shooting at an SUV leaving a campus parking lot. That vehicle’s driver was killed and two passengers were wounded as the car crashed through a block wall.

From there, the gunman entered the campus, shooting a woman as he made his way toward the college’s library, where students were studying for final exams.

Officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene.

After the gunman was killed, police wearing helmets and armed with shotguns and rifles searched the campus for a second shooter. A man dressed entirely in black, the words “Life is a Gamble” on the back of his sweatshirt, was seen being led away in handcuffs.

The identities of the man arrested and those who were killed were not immediately released.

Five of the gunman’s victims died immediately. The sixth died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where she had been admitted in critical condition.

AP

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