Ten years later, Sheriff Bill Brown reflects on the Isla Vista killings that took six lives

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – One of the worst mass killings in Santa Barbara County history will have a somber remembrance Thursday when the community reflects on the deadly spree that took place Friday night May 23, 2014.

Sheriff Bill Brown recalls the chaotic situation with multiple crime scenes throughout the community, largely made up of thousands of college students.

A student at Santa Barbara City College with, what was later confirmed to be, years of mental problems, armed himself with a knife and three guns.

Elliot Rodger killed two roommates and one of their friends inside an apartment they shared, they he got into his car to target other locations a few blocks away. All were in Isla Vista.

Reflecting back on that night in an interview this week, Brown said the Sheriff's deputies from the Isla Vista Foot Patrol office immediately responded to the "shots fired" calls, and some ran to a scene on foot from their building in the community near UC Santa Barbara.

Brown said, Rodger had three guns and over 400 rounds of ammunition.

Deputies opened fire on the speeding car Rodger was in while it was in motion going through several streets.  

Eventually the vehicle crashed and Rodger was found with a self inflicted bullet wound.    

Three other victims who were shot along the way were located deceased.

Two were walking to their sorority house and another was in the doorway of a store.

The community has rallied in support of the families of the students who lost their lives and the 14 who were wounded by gunfire.   

Brown said the deputies involved engaged in gunfire as soon as they could locate Rodger. They were in the line of fire but not hit. "The deputies returned fire. He was wounded in that exchange of gunfire. He then drove off and, went around the block and turned right on to the apply, accelerated, then put the gun to his head, committed suicide, and crashed his vehicle into a parked car. And a, cyclist hit was on the on the road at the time."

The response to the "shots fired" calls was swift. "I'm I'm absolutely convinced, were it not for the heroism of our deputies and the UCPD officers that were with us on the full patrol that night, that we would have had many more deaths that occurred in this community," said Brown.

Since that tragedy, Brown said laws have been upgraded to give family members the power to ask for a court issue restraining order if they can prove someone has mental problems and is a serious threat to others or themselves.

There are also many ways for UCSB students and Isla Vista residents to report suspicious or dangerous people who may be a risk or have shown a pattern of violent behavior.

Sheriff Brown spoke with all family members and said it's hard  because you can't make sense out of a senseless situation as they remember the deaths of, Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, Veronika Weiss, Katherine Cooper,   Cheng Yuan Hong, George Chen and  Weihan Wang.

Brown said, "it is very hard. It's, you know, all of a sudden the worst day of their life comes and they hear this terrible news. And, we just try to support them in any way that we can. The community really did come together, in the aftermath of this with a variety of memorial services."

Going forward he says, "we got to be very careful about not making sure that there's not a stigma against mentally ill people, we have to get mentally ill people help. We have to treat and, support them in our communities."