Guns used in Isla Vista rampage were legally purchased, registered

Reporting from Isla Vista, Calif. —  Authorities recovered three semi-automatic handguns that belonged to the man who launched a mass shooting Friday through the streets near UC Santa Barbara that left six people and the gunman dead.

The guns – two Sig Sauer p226 model handguns and a Glock 34 – were legally purchased from federally licensed dealers and were registered to Elliot Rodger, according to Bill Brown of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities also recovered 34 loaded 10-round magazines for the Sig Sauers and seven 10-round magazines for the Glock, Brown said at a news conference Saturday evening.

Rodger, 22, was a student at Santa Barbara City College living in Isla Vista.

About a month ago, on April 30, Sheriff’s officials responded to concerns from his parents and went to Rodger’s residence to check on his welfare. The deputies determined that Rodger did not meet the criteria for an involuntary hold, Brown said.

“He was courteous and polite, appeared timid and shy” during the welfare check, Brown said, and Rodger expressed that he was “having difficulty with his social life and probably would not be returning to school the next year.”

Brown said that deputies had two other previously documented contacts with the suspect.

In July 2013, Brown said, sheriff’s deputies were contacted by a hospital where Rodger was being treated for injuries. Rodger claimed to be the victim of an assault, but Brown said his investigators “received information that Rodger may have been the aggressor,” and the case was suspended pending more information.

Then, in January 2014, Brown said Rodger contacted the sheriff’s department and accused his roommate of stealing three candles worth $22. Rodger asked for arrest, and the roommate was booked into the jail for petty theft, Brown said. The case was eventually filed with the District Attorney’s office.

At the news conference Saturday, authorities described the rampage as “a chaotic, rapidly unfolding and convoluted incident that involved multiple crime scenes.”

The first three victims were killed in the suspect’s residence before the shootings began. Authorities found the bodies stabbed repeatedly with what appeared to be sharp objects. “It was a pretty horrific crime scene,” Brown said.