Last Friday night, leading into the last weekend of the Spring Semester at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California is usually a time of relief from finals and making the most of the last weekend of the college experience before the summer begins. That was not to be the case this Friday!
For the mentally ill 22 year-old Elliot Rodger, who was obsessed with his lack of a sex life and companionship, this Friday marked his “Day of Retribution”. It claimed the innocent lives of 6 people and injured 13.
Looking back there are always “tell-tale” signs, that emerge after the fact. This is normally in hidden manifestos, blogs, postings, journals, friends, classmates, family or people in their inner circle. In this case, Elliot Rodger had several warning signs that were reported and even followed up by police officials, only to be discounted to a young man that “seemed polite”. Meanwhile he had already devised his deadly plan and amassed legally obtained weapons and ammunition.
In his 137 page manifesto he recalls the moment where “about seven police officers” knocked on his door on April 30th. The police call was prompted when his mother discovered his disturbing YouTube vlogs (video blogs) discussing his hatred of women, the men they “give sex to” and his longing to seek revenge with violence against humanity. She called his therapist (he had more than one) who then called a police hotline and mentioned the videos.
This is when the system seems to fail the victims of Friday’s rampage. As a former NYPD Detective – Investigator, I see flaws in the police protocol and the following investigative steps taken by the police investigators. The police visited Rodger, but had never watched the videos which prompted the report in the first place. Using his charm, he convinced the police that it was all a “misunderstanding”. It appears now evident that had one of the police investigators watched the videos that had been reported to them in the original call, they would have been better prepared to question this troubled man. They also would have been less likely to believe that it was a “misunderstanding or miscommunication”. It may have led to Rodger’s mental evaluation.
In his manifesto he admits that if police would have searched the apartment – or perhaps asked Rodgers if he owns any weapons – his plan would have been over.
“I had the striking and devastating fear that someone had somehow discovered what I was planning to do, and reported me for it,” he wrote. “If that was the case, the police would have searched my room, found all of my guns and weapons, along with my writings.”
It was also revealed that Santa Barbara police had three bizarre encounters with Rodger in just the last 1½ years. In January 2013, he made a citizen’s arrest of his roommate for allegedly stealing three candles (it’s unclear if this was one of the roommates he stabbed), in July when Rodger claimed he was assaulted, though police believe he may have been the aggressor (no charges were filed). In April 2014, police investigators interviewed him regarding his therapist’s telephone complaint that his mother had found disturbing YouTube videos talking about his extreme hatred of women.
On Friday his parents and 25 other people received the 137 page manifesto quoted above. After only reading a few lines, she went to her son’s YouTube pages and saw a newly posted video titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”.
Deeply disturbed by what she saw, his mother called 911. Both parents raced over to Santa Barbara to see their son but it was too late. As the two parents were driving to Santa Barbara they heard the news.
Elliot Rodger was diagnosed as a highly functioning individual with autism, as was the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza. Both were able to legally obtain guns.
Police should also have investigated Rodger’s weapons permits and the guns he possessed. This would have been done routinely by the NYPD.
There were too many signs, documented signs, that shows us that policies and procedures have to be evaluated nationwide to try and insure these type of tragic events stop happening and that sick individuals like Rodger are discovered and hospitalized or monitored in advance of a mass shooting.
Thomas Ruskin 