Below is a description of the events that occurred leading up to and on May 23, 2014. In an effort to educate and inform those who may not know the history, the description of events written by the IV Strong team intends to emphasize the impact of the tragedy from a local perspective. This version of events is not a full account by any means, but serves as a consolidated, abridged retelling so as to provide background in a respectful manner.
Providing this account is solely for the purposes of better understanding this moment in our history. We hope to honor the Gauchos whose lives were taken too soon and those whose lives are forever changed.
Content Warning: Please be advised that the following text contains mentions of extreme violence, misogynistic extremism, mental health struggles, murder, and suicide.
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On April 30, 2014, police were called to perform a welfare check on a young man who had uploaded videos of himself to YouTube, calling for a day of retribution against people he perceived to be the cause for his lack of sexual fulfillment. Officers who performed the welfare check at his apartment found no immediate cause for concern, despite knowing of an incident a few months prior where the man was seen attempting to push people off a balcony on DP.
On May 23, 2014, the perpetrator began the killing spree in his own apartment, stabbing his two roommates and their friend to death before cleaning up the scene. Sometime that day after taking the lives of these first three victims, he revealed his anger and malcontent in a video posted online. Though the video did not reveal what he had already done, or that he had plans to harm additional individuals, he took to the streets of Isla Vista later that day in further premeditated violence.
Sometime after posting the video, he stopped at Starbucks at Pardall and Embarcadero Del Norte and ordered a triple vanilla latte. Sometime after this, he uploaded his final video titled “Retribution” to the internet, emailed his 141-page manifesto to family members, and drove to what he believed to be the top-ranking sorority house in order to target the women he believed responsible for his “involuntary celibacy”.
He pounded on the door for several minutes, then returned to his car after no response at the door. As he sat in his car, three women from a nearby sorority walked past. He shot at all three women a total of 15 times, killing two on the scene and leaving one critically injured. Upon hearing the gunshots, 911 was called and they arrived in IV soon after. As the shooter drove away, students began to crowd around the women on the sidewalk. While students chased down police officers for help, one student spoke on the phone to the mother of the woman left injured, reassuring both the woman and her mother that she would be okay.
The shooter then drove through Isla Vista targeting women, men, couples, and random passersby. He drove along Pardall Road past IV Deli Mart, where he shot through the window, killing a student trying to buy a sandwich from the deli.
Still in the vehicle, the perpetrator hit a male pedestrian, sending him into the air. He ran his car into another pedestrian, discharged his weapon at two more, and, having identified a couple leaving a store, fired his weapon at them and a female cyclist riding by. As the police mobilized within a minute of the first 911 call, sheriffs in Isla Vista attended to injuries. The arrival of police vehicles began a car chase and shootout between the killer and the police. No officers were injured in the fire exchange. The killer used his car to strike two pedestrians, injuring both, then shot at another pedestrian near Sabado Tarde. He continued to target people on the street, attempting to run over a skateboarder and a biker, injuring both. He then shot at two pedestrians and at another biker. A total of 14 individuals sustained injuries but survived, some with lifelong disabilities as a result of their injuries. In a final shootout with police officers, the killer took his own life with one of his guns, and the vehicle subsequently crashed. When police approached the vehicle, they found over 500 unused rounds of ammunition and multiple weapons in the vehicle.
There were a total of 17 crime scenes across Isla Vista, and dozens of witnesses left with lifelong trauma and emotional injury. The massacre was an act of misogynistic extremism, committed by a highly disturbed individual with a long history of mental illness. We, as a community, recognize this horrific moment in our history, doing so to fully acknowledge the circumstances in which six precious lives were taken with many more injured. We keep their memories alive through memorial, and we uphold a legacy of strength and resilience.