The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released its 68-page report on the deadly shooting spree of Elliot Rodger Thursday, concluding that Rodger acted alone when he killed six people and took his own life near UCSB last May.
Investigators reached the conclusion after following up on and dismissing dozens of leads that suggested Rodger may have had co-conspirators or accomplices.
Early findings that the 22-year-old man’s mental health issues led to his violent outbreak were confirmed after conversations with therapists who treated him.
“The murder investigation disclosed that the suspect had been treated for many years for mental health issues,” the report stated. “Those issues affected his ability to live a normal life and to interact well with others, even those to whom he should have been close. As an adult, he did not effectively deal with those issues or even recognize them, quickly blaming others for his problems.
“In retrospect, the contribution this made to the actions of May 23rd was extremely significant; however, those mental health professionals who saw and treated him did not see anything that would have predicted his future behavior,” the investigators added.
As TheWrap previously reported, Rodger was the son of “Hunger Games” assistant director Peter Rodger and a student at Santa Barbara City College. He posted a video hours before the shootings titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution” in which he threatens violence for being rejected by others.
According to the new report, Rodger was also particularly interested in “practices and techniques of the Third Reich.” His Internet search history included “in-depth” research into Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels and brutal SS leader Heinrich Himmler.
The Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives served search warrants that turned up 250 documents, as well as warrants for Rodger’s and his murdered roommates’ cell phone records.
The investigation could not answer the question of why Rodger planned and executed a shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded 14, according to the report, but police hope their findings may help prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future.