Isla Vista Mass Shooting
Jeremy Sartin and Paul Haberstock period 2
About the Shooter
Elliot Rodger was born in London, England, but moved to the United States when he was 5 years old. He grew up in Las Angeles, with a younger brother and a half brother, as his parents got divorced when he was young. Rodger attended three high schools due to being uncomfortable wherever he was. He ended up going to Santa Barbra City College, but dropped out before his senior year.
Elliot Rodger is believed to have bipolar disorder, as many therapists concluded during his trial. His peers at SBCC have said that he was a pariah, a social outcast. When Elliot would walk through the lunchroom, students would put their heads down, hoping he wouldn't sit next to them. Due to this out casting by his peers, Rodger saw himself as above other as he said, “I’ll take great pleasure in slaughtering all of you. You will finally see that I am in truth the superior one, the true alpha male,”
History of Isla Vista
Map of Isla Vista
Memorial of those who died
picture of Elliot Rodger before the mass shooting
About the Victims
All Victims of this heinous crime were current students at Santa Barbara Community College, Rodger's peers. He chose the victims at random to prove that he was better than his average classmate. Although it is said he chose the victims at random, he might've picked out two of his co-tenants as they were among the deceased. It is unknown whether or not a prior incident between the three of them could have caused this.
Three of the other victims were all apart of the same sorority, Delta Delta Delta, as they were outside of the Alpha Phi sorority house. These killings are seen as less personal as he used a handgun to murder the girls, while using a knife and handgun to murder his co-tenants. There was one more murdered victim as a student was walking home, Rodger decided to take his life too.