The three victims found in the apartment of mass murderer Elliot Rodger have been identified as UCSB students Cheng Yuan Hong, 20; George Chen, 19; and Weihan Wang, 20, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
Six victims died in the massacre that struck the Isla Vista community on Friday night. All have been identified as students at UCSB.
In total, 13 people were victim to this attack. Seven were transported to area trauma centers, where two are in good condition, three in fair condition and two still in serious condition, according to Dr. Stephen Kaminski, director of trauma services at Cottage Hospital.
“At a time when we should be basking in the glow of our students’ academic achievements, we are instead mourning the loss of members of our extended student family,” Superintendent-President Dr. Lori Gaskin said in a campus-wide email. “We are seeking to understand the inexplicable.”
Rodger, 22-years-old and a City College student, has been identified as the aggressor of the Isla Vista killing-spree on the night of May 23. He appears to have died of a self-inflicted gun shot after a gun fight with police.
A press release by Gaskin revealed there have been no previous documented disciplinary actions against him. Rodger is reported to have only completed 3 classes and has either withdrawn or neglected to attend every other course he had enrolled in since 2011.
Rodger has had three previous contacts with the SBPD.
A police record of the perpetrator shows that he had reported being assaulted, but the case was later dismissed because authorities had reason to believe he was the aggressor.
He also placed his roommate on citizen’s arrest over petty theft of candles until police arrived to bring him in. The roommate was later said to be one of the newly identified victims, Hong.
Last month a family member reported him to authorities for a welfare check after viewing videos of Rodger online expressing his thoughts of murder and suicide.
The check was executed and no threat of suicide or potential harm to others was determined–as a result, it closed. During the welfare check, Rodger had already planned the mass murder and his room contained the guns and other weapons used in his rampage.
His 141 page manifesto titled “My Twisted World,” outlines his life of misery as well as his forthcoming plots against humanity and his own family.
“They treated me like an insignificant little mouse. But on the Day of Retribution, I would be a God to them,” said Rodger in his manifesto. “They deserve to die horrible, painful deaths just for the crime of enjoying a life better than me.”
Santa Barbara Sherriff Bill Brown described Rodger as “very mentally disturbed.”
Rodger’s reportedly was diagnosed with a high functioning form of Asperger Syndrome during his childhood and has received professional help and medication throughout his life.
In a press conference on Saturday, Brown explained in detail the events of the massacre and described the drive-by attacks as “the work of a mad man.”
Gaskin is holding a campus conversation on Tuesday, May 27 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for anyone who wishes to seek help or discuss the events of this weekend. UCSB is also naming Tuesday a “Day of Mourning and Reflection,” where classes are cancelled and students are encouraged to come talk with staff and faculty who are ready to provide support to anyone in need.
The investigation of Friday night’s rampage is still underway. This story will be updated.
