California
mass shooter had penchant for Nazis, investigators say
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[February 20, 2015]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 22-year-old
California man who killed six college students last year before taking
his own life in a rampage near Santa Barbara had an interest in Nazis
and conducted a Web search for torture devices, a report released on
Thursday showed.
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Elliot Rodger stabbed three men to death in his apartment in the
community of Isla Vista last May before fatally shooting three more
people and wounding 14 others near the campus of the University of
California at Santa Barbara.
Rodger had a history of mental health issues and in an Internet
manifesto before the rampage, expressed frustration about his lack
of success with women.
The report by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office detailing
the outcome of its probe into the killings said investigators still
could not determine what motivated Rodger to commit the slayings.
But it described him as a troubled man with odd interests.
"It is hoped that a thorough review of these materials by both law
enforcement and mental health professionals will lead to the
development of some new techniques and practices in identifying and
treating such troubled persons," the report said.
Investigators said they discovered that Rodger conducted in-depth
research about Nazi Germany, and in particular about Nazi figures
Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler.
Rodger committed his shootings on the anniversary of Himmler's
death, but the report said that was likely a coincidence.
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Rodger, the son of a Hollywood director, also conducted a number of
bizarre Web searches, including one in 2012 for "modern torture
devices" and another one for "Spanish inquisition torture devices,"
the report said.
Police had gone to Rodger's apartment just weeks before the killing
spree and asked him about disturbing videos he had posted online.
The visit was at the request of a mental health worker who had been
in contact with his mother.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and
Peter Cooney)
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