# Shooting and mass murder in Isla Vista **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 24, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177 "2014-05-24T13:07:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/1 "2014-05-24T13:07:07Z")
I’m just seeing this on television news. A shooter drove through the densely populated college community of Isla Vista in Santa Barbara, targeting people. Seven are dead, seven injured, and the shooter himself dead. The news posted a youtube video without saying downright that it was from the shooter, saying he was pissed that he couldn’t get a date and was targeting blonde coeds. This was all TV news data - now I’m off to confirm online. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/2 "2014-05-24T15:19:54Z")
[It’s true](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COLLEGE_COMMUNITY_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-24-10-58-21). [Here’s the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbv5Vpa-B-0). Seems like a fairly smart guy; good thing he only had a half-baked plan for some nebulous “revenge”. And since he’s driving a BMW, I’m gonna assume that he has access to funds; if he’d had a real goal, he might have done far more damage. I feel really sorry for the families & friends of the innocent victims. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/3 "2014-05-24T15:23:25Z")
What an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/4 "2014-05-24T15:50:40Z")
I lived in IV during my college years, back in the '70s – wow. Couldn’t get more than 30 seconds into that video. Horrifying. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/5 "2014-05-24T16:23:16Z")
Although IV is a bit divorced from the rest of town, this is going to hit this community hard. It was a beautiful night last night and IV would have been packed with students out enjoying Friday night with three weeks until graduation for many. I’m reminded of another mentally ill kid from a very rich family who plowed his car into a crowd and killed a few of them around fifteen years ago. I wish both of them had gotten help when they needed it. I had a lot of plans for this three day weekend and now I don’t want to leave the house. Not that I’m afraid. I just don’t want to hear everyone talking about this shit. Those poor kids. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/6 "2014-05-24T16:48:38Z")
The shooter’s dad was assistant director on _The Hunger Games_ and his step-mom is an actress who was a cast member on the French version of _The Real Housewives_. > **[California drive-by shooting: 'Son of Hunger Games assistant director' Elliot...](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10853875/California-drive-by-shooting-Son-of-Hunger-Games-assistant-director-Elliot-Rodger-suspected-of-killing-six.html)** > > Elliot Rodger, the son of an assistant director of the Hunger Games films, is suspected of shooting dead six people in a rage against being rejected by women ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/7 "2014-05-24T16:52:47Z")
And apparently the cause of it all is that women have rejected him. I would have expected some aspiring actresses to get close to him because of his parents’ Hollywood connections. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/8 "2014-05-24T16:52:55Z")
That’s another chilling parallel to the last time. The kid from before was the son of a Hollywood producer. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/9 "2014-05-24T18:28:25Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > And apparently the cause of it all is that women have rejected him. On the bright side, he’ll probably get lots of fan mail and wedding proposals while in prison. What a strange, twisted world we live in. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/10 "2014-05-24T18:30:02Z")
Wow, I just learned about this on Facebook. My ex-boss posted the story, says it happened right in front of his restaurant, and bullets hit the store. Damn. I used to run one of his restaurants, and about 16 years ago I hired the guy who now manages the Isla Vista store. I haven’t heard from him yet, but the ex-boss says none of the employees were hurt. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/11 "2014-05-24T18:34:39Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > On the bright side, he’ll probably get lots of fan mail and wedding proposals while in prison. What a strange, twisted world we live in. Yes, what a strange, twisted world we live in, putting dead people in prison and all. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/12 "2014-05-24T18:48:57Z")
Ugh. What a tragedy. You can see his video manifesto on LiveLeak. They interviewed a cute blonde coed who exchanged a “whaddup” with the killer and he subsequently shot at her as she was walking away, fortunately missing. Talk about PTSD. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/13 "2014-05-24T18:53:30Z")
The punk was richer than shit and never been kissed? That’s a problem with him (obviously) not the female half of humanity. My deepest condolences to the families of those shot and wounded, but the shooter is better as worm-food. He should have taken the coward’s way out and just shot himself before he left home. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/14 "2014-05-24T18:57:04Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > …putting dead people in prison and all. Arrgh, totally missed that part. :smack: Thank God for small favors, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/15 "2014-05-24T19:50:36Z")
The guy is not unattractive, he obviously has money and his parents are semi famous with Hollywood connections. Dude must have been putting out some seriously creepy vibes if he wasn’t getting any. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/16 "2014-05-24T20:04:15Z")
Two people in this thread have used the word “coed.” Aren’t female college students just called “college students” these days? I’m sure no disrespect is meant, and I’m neither close to the victims nor an officer of the language police. It’s just that it seemed to demean the victims and it bothered me a bit. The only reason I bring it up is because the killer seems to have had weird ideas about women, and the word is particularly jarring in this context. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/17 "2014-05-24T21:42:45Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Two people in this thread have used the word “coed.” Aren’t female college students just called “college students” these days? > > I’m sure no disrespect is meant, and I’m neither close to the victims nor an officer of the language police. It’s just that it seemed to demean the victims and it bothered me a bit. > > The only reason I bring it up is because the killer seems to have had weird ideas about women, and the word is particularly jarring in this context. Didn’t realize coed was not PC. Don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/18 "2014-05-24T22:07:52Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > And apparently the cause of it all is that women have rejected him. > > I would have expected some aspiring actresses to get close to him because of his parents’ Hollywood connections. And you believe the lunatic killer’s reason for what he did…why? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/19 "2014-05-24T22:09:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > He should have taken the coward’s way out and just shot himself before he left home. What do you know about suicide as a mental illness? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177/20 "2014-05-24T22:31:49Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What do you know about suicide as a mental illness? I know it sure beats killing seven other people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-and-mass-murder-in-isla-vista/689177.md?page=2)