**Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger** (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) was an English-American former college student and mass murderer responsible for the 2014 Isla Vista killings. On May 23, 2014, Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others by using knives, semi-automatic pistols, and his car in Isla Vista, California, near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rodger first killed his two roommates and their friend in the apartment they shared, ambushing and stabbing them one at a time as they arrived. Hours later, Rodger uploaded a video on YouTube titled "Elliot Rodger's Retribution," in which he detailed his intentions to target Isla Vista, explaining his motivations were to "punish" women for their lack of interest in him and men who were sexually active, driven by his hatred towards them. 

Additionally, he made a 137-page manifesto titled *My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger*, with it explaining his life story and frustrations with having stayed a virgin his whole life. Rodger emailed his manifesto to family members, acquaintances, and his therapists. He then drove to a sorority house and attempted to get in. Unable to enter, Rodger shot three women walking outside the sorority house, killing two. He then drove to a nearby delicatessen and shot and killed a man inside. After that, Rodger drove around Isla Vista, shooting at people and hitting others with his BMW. He shot back at sheriff's deputies twice and got shot in the hip. He later crashed his car into a parked vehicle. As police went around the vehicle, they found Rodger dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

Early life
----------

Elliot Rodger was born on July 24, 1991, in London, England to parents Peter Rodger and Li Chin. His mother is Malaysian and worked as a nurse. His father is British and has worked in the film industry, including as a second unit director on the movie *The Hunger Games*. Rodger's grandfather, George Rodger, was a famous photographer known for his work during World War II. He had a good childhood, going to many countries at a young age. He attended Dorset House, a private all-boys school, which he found too strict and it often made him upset.

When Rodger turned five, his family moved to Woodland Hills, California, a rich area near Los Angeles. His parents divorced when he was seven, which was very hard for him. After the divorce, his father married Soumaya Akaaboune, a Moroccan actress. Rodger was shy and found it difficult to make friends. He often felt to nervous when at parties large or gatherings. In 1999, his mother filed for more child support, describing him as a "high-functioning autistic child."

Middle years
------------

Rodger's mother once dated George Lucas, which led him and his mother receiving invitations to *Star Wars* red carpet premieres. Rodger began to play video games, spending many hours playing popular games like *Halo* on his Xbox. Around this period, Akaaboune had a son. Elliot's interest in movies diminished as he felt uncomfortable seeing couples at movie theaters. In middle school, Rodger would played the online game *World of Warcraft* for 14 hours a day. This became his main from of social activity. At age 11, he was exposed to explicit images online, which overwhelmed him with shock and emotions. As he entered puberty, Rodger developed a strong sexual attraction toward women and began to fear he would never have a relationship with them. After his mother moved to an apartment in Calabasas, California, Rodger felt embarrassed by it and avoided bringing friends over.

Rodger had trouble making friends in middle school and tried to get attention by annoying classmates. He was bullied by a blond girl, which led him to start hating women.
After middle school, Rodger attended Crespi Carmelite High School, an all-boys Roman Catholic school. He hoped it would be a fresh start, but he was soon bullied by older students, which included being hit with food and having his head taped to his desk. Overwhelmed by this, he would often cry and felt too nervous to do anything. He struggled to interact with others and withdrew from his homework, preferring to play *World of Warcraft* instead.

Due to the bullying, his parents transferred him to Taft Charter High School. However, Taft's large student population made Rodger nervous. At Taft, he would be shoved against lockers and called homophobic slurs. Rodger often waited for hallways to be empty before moving to his next class to avoid interactions. His parents decided to withdraw him from the school after just a few week.
Seeking a more supportive educational setting, Rodger's parents enrolled him in Independence High School, a smaller school with about 100 students that offered a more contained environment aimed at supporting students facing challenges. This school provided a few hours of daily teaching and was perceived as a place where bullying Rodger would be less likely.

In 2007, Rodger was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), a condition on the autism spectrum that leads to challenges in social development. He was initially prescribed Xanax and Prozac, but he stopped taking them within a year. At the age of 17, a family trip to Morocco led to significant distress for Rodger, but he eventually accompanied his step-mother and half-brother, remaining unhappy during the trip. He eventually graduated from Independence High School, but his social struggles continued, leading him to remain alone despite efforts from others to connect with him.

Later life
----------

By the age of 18, Rodger had stopped attending the mental health sessions and stopped taking his medications. After high school, Rodger enrolled in Los Angeles Pierce College but soon left because seeing happy couples that made him jealous. Despite encouragement from his mother to find a job, Rodger preferred spending his time reading at *Barnes & Noble* or wandering around his mother's house, hoping to meet a blond woman who would find him attractive. His parents tried to help him find jobs, but Rodger resisted, claiming that the job offers he received were "beneath him." He often sat alone in cafes, waiting for women to approach him. Although he felt jealousy towards his more social half-brother, he still liked him.

After leaving Los Angeles Pierce College, Rodger and his mother visited Moorpark College. Attracted by its smaller size and its campus, Rodger decided to enroll, hoping it would be a fresh start where he could meet blond women and possibly show a girlfriend around the community college. However, Rodger soon felt lonely and sad at Moorpark. He developed feelings of jealousy towards a couple in one of his classes. By the age of 19, he chose to take only one political science class, relieved that the couple was not present in this class, though he still saw them around campus. His his social anxiety increased, especially when called upon by a professor. After completing a year at Moorpark College, Rodger dropped out in 2010.

#### Santa Barbara

Rodger moved to Isla Vista, California (*pictured in April 2014*) in hopes of getting a girlfriend and losing his virginity.
In an effort to help their son socialize more, Rodger parents decided to send him to college in Santa Barbara, believing that being part of a college community might encourage him to make friends. Influenced by the film *Alpha Dog*, Rodger was hopeful that moving to Santa Barbara would allow him improve his social life and lose his virginity. In June 2011, he moved to the Capri Apartments in Isla Vista, California near the University of California, Santa Barbara, and enrolled in Santa Barbara City College.

Shortly after moving in, Rodger felt intense jealousy toward a roommate's friend who mentioned losing his virginity at a young age. Rodger ran to his room and called his mother, expressing his frustration and jealousy over the attention that black men received from blonde women. Struggling to get along with several roommates, Rodger spent much of his time alone at golf courses and beaches. After changing roommates several times, one roommate described Rodger as a "ticking time bomb waiting to explode," and expressed fear for their life.

Rodger began to hate the people of Isla Vista, feeling jealous of people in relationships with attractive blonde women and blaming men more successful than him. He fantasized about violent acts against couples and, on several occasions, acted out aggressively in public. After seeing a couple kiss, he threw his coffee at them in a fit of rage.

Feeling increasingly lonely, Rodger withdrew from all his college classes and began planning what he referred to as the "Day of Retribution." He also had an obsession with designer clothing, believing it would help him look more attractive. Despite efforts to socialize by making a new friend who introduced him to others, Rodger remained distant and his interactions often ended in frustration. His growing frustration led him to purchase lottery tickets in hopes of winning and finally getting a girlfriend. After repeated failures and a loss of hope in changing his circumstances, Rodger began buying firearms and preparing for his "Day of Retribution."

Incident at house party
-----------------------

On July 20, 2013, Rodger, wanting to lose his virginity before turning 22, drank vodka and attended a party hoping to interact with women. Frustrated by his inability to talk with women, Rodger climbed a 10-foot ledge and pretended to shoot people with his finger. He then attempted to shove several women off the ledge, but was stopped by a group of men who pushed him off instead, causing him to break his ankle. Rodger tried to leave but realized he had lost his sunglasses. Still drunk, he mistakenly entered another house, leading to another fight where he was called names and beaten up. Injured and bloodied, Rodger managed to return to his apartment. The next day, two sheriff's deputies visited him in the hospital. Rodger claimed that he was insulted and attacked for no reason, but was unclear if he should have called the police.

A deputy noted Rodger's apparent lying, describing him as too "timid" and "shy." A witness at the party stated that Rodger had started the fight by trying to push women off the ledge. This witness described Rodger as acting alone and behaving weird, noting that he wasn't talking to anyone at the party. Upon returning home, another witness saw Rodger crying and overheard him talking about killing his attackers. The sheriff's office concluded that Rodger had started the fight, and the case was closed without further action. After his hospital visit, Rodger began to plan his for his subsequent attacks.

Mental health and further planning
----------------------------------

In August 2013, Elliot Rodger, feeling resentful about his broken ankle and constant rejections from women, decided that the only solution was to carry out his planned attack. However, his broken ankile forced him to delay his plans until spring 2014. Rodger soon became upset when he learned that his sister had gotten a boyfriend. He felt depressed and jealous after overhearing them having sex together. 

Rodger's parents tried to get him more help him by working with three different counselors, but Rodger continued to struggle with his feelings and social interactions. In late 2012, Rodger began havong therapy sessions with celebrity psychiatrist Charles Sophy. Sophy prescribed Rodger Risperidone, but he decided against taking it after reading about it online. He eventually stopped going to his therapy sessions by fall 2013. Rodger also got advice from family friend Dale Launer on how to talk with women, but he found Launer's advice ineffective. Rodger believed that it didn't help him attract women or lose his virginity.

#### Behavior with others

While out with two friends, tensions rose after one of them began dating women, sparking jealousy in Rodger who resorted to hurling insults at them. In a moment of frustration, his friend yelled, "No girl in this whole world will ever want to fuck you," a statement that deeply insulted Rodger and further declined his mental state. On another occasion, during a visit to the Getty Museum, one friend mentioned that women were checking them out. Rodger questioned if any women were looking at him, and upon hearing a negative response, he separated from the group and broke down in tears. As Rodger's two friends attempted to distance themselves, he persistently sent them messages. Eventually, they agreed to a meet-up at a park, where they then drove to a restaurant. They later went to a different park where one friend fell asleep in the car. Rodger and the other friend walked outside. During their conversation, Rodger began to share his negative views on women and the world. Concerned, his friend cautioned him against doing anything stupid, to which Rodger assured he had no plans of "doing anything stupid." That meeting turned out to be the last time he saw his two friends.

In September 2013, Rodger was assigned a random apartment where he gained two new roommates, 20-year-old Weihan "David" Wang and 20-year-old Cheng Yuan "James" Hong. As Wang's mother helped her son move his stuff into the apartment, she urged the three to take care of each other, which Rodger quickly brushed off. Rodger would spend most of his time out of the apartment or alone in his room, making Wang feel bothered by Rodger's antisocial behavior. He filed complaints with the building manager, claiming Rodger played loud music during the night. On January 15, 2014, a fight happened between Rodger and Hong when Rodger accused him of stealing three candles valued at $22. The conflict began when Rodger, irritated by Hong's cooking, took his measuring cup, prompting Hong to retaliate by taking Rodger's candles in an attempt to initiate a trade. Rodger responded by placing Hong under a citizen's arrest. Upon police intervention, Hong claimed he believed Rodger had stolen his possessions, including a rice bowl, though Rodger denied the allegations. Law enforcement discovered the candles on Hong's bed. After Hong refused to return the candles, he was arrested and charged with petty theft. He was found guilty, fined, and later released.

Hong had become angry by Rodger's actions but refrained from confronting him, concerned that it might worsen their living conditions. Hong and Wang distanced themselves from Rodger and went on to sign a lease with friends for a different apartment. Rodger began to plan to murder Wang and Hong, due to disliking them and feeling they would get in the way of his attack. In January 2014, Rodger contemplated launching his planned attack during Valentine's Day or Deltopia, a spring break event drawing crowds to Isla Vista in early April. However, he dismissed these dates due to heightened police presence and his realization that he required additional time for preparation. Eventually, he settled on April 26, 2014, as the revised date for his attack. He bought another SIG Sauer P226 handgun for $1,132 in Oxnard, California in February 2014 incase the other two firearms jammed. Throughout February and March, Rodger visited gun ranges, making multiple ammunition purchases. He funded his weapon purchases with money he had saved from gifts from his grandparents and the $500 monthly allowance his father sent him.

Online activity
---------------

Rodger mainly expressed his emotions through platforms like YouTube, where he shared his frustrations about his romantic failures and his views on life. In April 2014, he uploaded multiple videos on YouTube, expressing his deep loneliness and frustration due to his unsuccessful attempts at attracting a girlfriend. He couldn't comprehend why women would prefer "inferior" men over him, questioning why his perceived good looks, high end clothes, and expensive car failed to garner any attention or acknowledgment from women, with video titles such as: "Why do girls hate me so much?", "Life is so unfair because girls don't want me", and "My reaction to seeing a young couple at the beach, Envy". He would secretly follow couples and record them while complaining how lonely he felt by seeing them. In additional videos, he recorded himself taking scenic drives surrounded by palm trees and dancing to music from artists like Whitney Houston, George Michael, and Phil Collins. Rodger was subscribed to multiple YouTube channels associated with the Men's rights movement, which posted content aimed at advising men on attracting and talking with women. Rodger also maintained a second YouTube channel named "Valtharion". He would leave negative comment across several videos, including calling women derogatory terms, saying racist statements, and accusing other men of lying about their relationships with women. Additionally, Rodger boasted about his affluent family background and expressed a sense of superiority due to being half-white. On his personal blog, named "Elliot Rodger's Official Blog," he portrayed himself as a "sophisticated, polite gentleman," expressing his difficulties in socializing and connecting with others in Isla Vista. Rodger shared selfies on his Facebook profile, showcasing himself enjoying luxurious plane rides and attending movie premieres. Rodger also frequently shared photos on his Google+ and YouTube, often showcasing himself alongside his BMW. Rodger expressed his confusion on Twitter about why women were sexually attracted to "brutish men" rather than "sophisticated gentlemen" like him. He also posted a link to his video "Why do girls hate me so much?". Rodger's online activities included numerous searches related to Nazis, such as researching Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler, and looking up topics like "Did Adolf Hitler have a girlfriend," Adolf Hitler and the law of attraction," "Nazi curbstomp," "Holocaust of black people," and "Nazi anime."

Rodger also searched for information on "modern torture devices" and "Spanish Inquisition torture devices." Rodger frequently engaged with online communities such as ForeverAlone and PUAHate, where men who struggled with romantic relationships shared their grievances, critiqued each other and expressed disdain towards women and pick-up artists. Within these forums, Rodger and other men identified themselves as "incels," a term for involuntary celibate, where they discussed their struggles to find a romantic or sexual partner. Because users on PUAHate shared similar negative perceptions of women, it further convinced Rodger that the difficulties some men experienced in finding partners were because women are "wicked and degenerate." When a user suggested that lucid dreaming having sex could serve as a substitute for their lack of intimacy in real life, Rodger argued that incels needed to initiate a "revolution." He believed it was essential to "destroy" the issues they faced by recognizing their "true strength and numbers." Furthermore, Rodger advocated for the overthrow of what he termed the "oppressive feminist system," envisioning a world where women would live in fear of incels. Rodger also expressed racist views in his posts towards interracial couples, including mocking an Asian man trying to date a white women and stating it was "rage-inducing" after he saw a black man hanging out with white women. After a user accused him of being racist, Rodger expressed that he was shocked that white women would choose "undeserving" men over him. Rodger would post his YouTube videos to forums like Bodybuilding.com, where despite his attempts to showcase his loneliness, users left comments on his videos that ridiculed him, branding him as desperate and insecure. On bodybuilding.com, a user compared Rodger's demeanor to that of a serial killer, attributing his romantic failures to sounding creepy. Additionally, one of Rodger's YouTube videos garnered attention on Reddit's "cringe" forum, where a user drew comparisons between Rodger and the fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman from *American Psycho*. He posted on PUAHate days before his planned attacks:

> You’re all jealous of my 10/10 pretty-boy face This site is full of stupid, disgusting, mentally ill degenerates who take pleasure in putting down others. That is all I have to say on here. Goodbye.
> 
>

Further planning
----------------

In the days leading up to his planned April attack, Rodger created a 137-page manifesto titled *My Twisted World: The Story of Elliot Rodger*. Rodger described women as a "plague" and thought that them getting the right to choose their own partners could "hinder the advancement of humanity," asserting that "civilized men of intelligence" should choose who they could mate with. He stated they should not be given any rights, adding that their "wickedness" needed to be "contained" to avoid the risk of humanity from "falling into degeneracy." Rodger opined that women's refusal to accept him was a "declaration of war" and hoped for his attacks to reshape humanity. He believed that to "purify the world," it was necessary to get rid of love and sex from human existence altogether. He imagined himself as a leader with "fanatically loyal troops" who imprison women in concentration camps where most would die from starvation, and a few women would be left alive where they would be kept in "secret labs" and be "artificially inseminated" with sperm samples to become pregnant, ensuring men would be unaware of women's existence.

Rodger detailed his plan for his "Day of Retribution," and divided it into three parts. The first phase involved killing his two roommates first, where he would then lure people into his apartment, wanting to slowly torture them before killing them. In the second phase of his plan, which he dubbed the "War on Women," Rodger aimed to target "the very girls who represent everything [he] hate[s] in the female gender" specifically focusing on the Alpha Phi sorority house. His intention was to eliminate as many blond women as possible, whom he labeled "spoiled, heartless, wicked bitches." In his final phase, Rodger planned to drive to his father's house and kill his step-mother and half-brother. He would then steal their Mercedes SUV and drive it to Isla Vista, shooting and hitting as many people as possible with his car. In April, Rodger extended his preparations by visiting two additional gun ranges. After Rodger posted multiple videos to his YouTube channel in the week leading up to his April 26 attack, he hoped that a woman might see his videos and ask him out on a date. As this did not happen, Rodger planned to finish writing his manifesto and upload one last video minutes before he started his attack. However, Rodger became sick with a cold on April 24, leading him to ponder whether it was a sign to abandon his intentions. Consequently, he postponed the date by a month, settling on May 24, to allow recovery from his cold and more time to live.

#### Incidents with police

On April 30, 2014, Rodger's mother became worried after she hadn't heard from her son in four days. She found the videos he had posted online and became shocked, reaching out to his therapist. The therapist then contacted a mental health professional, who requested a welfare check on Rodger. Responding to the request, four sheriff's deputies, a university police officer, and a dispatcher in training visited Rodger's apartment. Rodger explained that he had no thoughts of hurting anyone or himself and that his videos were his way of expressing his social difficulties in Isla Vista. A deputy called Rodger's mother to update her and handed the phone to Rodger, who reassured her he was alright and would call her later. The deputies also provided Rodger with information on local support services and determined he did not meet the criteria for involuntary hold. Because the officers did not watch the videos or check if Rodger owned any weapons, they determined that Rodger did not pose an immediate risk to himself or others. After the authorities left, Rodger felt relieved they did not search his apartment, fearing they would have located his firearms and manifesto, causing him to go to prison. He maintained possession of a gun and several loaded magazines close at hand. He intended to use them against the police if they returned and then planned to flee. Rodger removed most of his videos from YouTube, believing the way he acted on them raised suspicion that could ruin his plans. In the description of one of his videos, Rodger mentioned that he had temporarily removed most of his videos due to the concern they had caused among some of his family members. Rodger planned to re-post them in the days leading up to his attack in May.

On May 6, 2014, Rodger got involved in an altercation with a couple at Goleta Beach. When the boyfriend was attempting to reverse out of a parking spot, Rodger drove his BMW to block him. The girlfriend, observing from her vehicle, saw her boyfriend and Rodger fight from their respective cars. Rodger told the boyfriend, "You're lucky to be an Asian guy dating a white girl. It's too bad she is such a horsefaced slut." After making the remark, he sped off. The boyfriend told the incident to his girlfriend, which frustrated her. She decided to pursue Rodger in her car. Upon catching up to him and attempting to confront him, Rodger said nothing, leaving the woman feeling uneasy, causing her to leave. As she was driving away, she noticed Rodger speeding through the parking lot, almost hitting several cars in the process. The woman called 911, telling law enforcement about the situation and to search the area for a black BMW.

Attacks
-------

As the pressure mounted in anticipation of his looming attack, Rodger turned to Xanax to alleviate his escalating anxiety. Throughout May 2014, Rodger embarked on drives across Santa Barbara, enjoying his final weeks alive. Days before his attack, he posted on bodybuilding.com before discovering and posting on anxietyzone.com. On May 22, he reposted the "Why do girls hate me so much?" video on YouTube. Despite initially selecting May 24 as the date for his attack, Rodger unexpectedly initiated his attacks a day earlier, on May 23. Rodger had told his mother that his final day of school would be on May 23 and that he would be taking a test at Santa Barbara City College. He said he would call her after he finished the test. On the day of his rampage, Rodger never called her, and despite his mother's attempts to reach him through calls and texts, he did not respond. Before starting his attacks, Rodger took Alprazolam and Benzodiazepine, medicine that helped with anxiety. He looked up pornography online and searched the terms "quiet silent kill with a knife" and "how to kill someone with a knife," before practicing stabbing on his bed sheets and pillows. Carrying a six-inch "SRK" knife along with a nine-inch boar hunting knife, Rodger first ambushed Wang upon his return to the apartment. Wang tried to defend himself but was stabbed 15 times and suffered 23 slashes. Rodger then moved Wang's body to the corner of a bedroom and threw it on the floor facedown, partially covering it with blankets, towels, and clothing. Hong, who was wearing his backpack, soon entered the apartment and was immediately attacked by Rodger. Despite his attempts to defend himself, Hong was overwhelmed, receiving 25 stab wounds and 12 slashes. Rodger dragged Hong's body to the same bedroom, throwing it face down halfway on top of Wang's body. He also concealed Hong’s body with blankets and clothing. The final victim, 19-year-old George Chen, was Hong and Wang's friend who arrived at the apartment last to visit them. Upon entering, Rodger ambushed Chen, unleashing a total of 94 stab wounds and 11 slashes as Chen attempted to defend himself. Rodger left Chen's body in a bathroom in a pool of blood. Rodger attempted to clean the apartment's hallways and hide evidence of the earlier stabbings as each victim entered. He tried using bathroom towels and paper towels to clean up the blood, but they quickly became soaked. Despite his efforts, blood remained splattered on the hallways and its walls.

Following the murders of the three men, Rodger changed out his blood-drenched clothes and wrapped them with bed sheets. He then made his way to Starbucks where he purchased a triple-vanilla latte. Less than two hours after his Starbucks visit, and minutes before his attack, Rodger uploaded a video on YouTube called "Elliot Rodger's Retribution". He also emailed his 137-page manifesto to 34 people, including his parents, friends, and therapists. In the video, Rodger is seen sitting in his BMW during a sunset, reciting scripted lines and letting out fake laughs. Rodger explained in the video that he was frustrated that he was still a virgin at 22, that he would "punish" women for rejecting him despite being a "Supreme Gentleman," and expressed his hatred for sexually active men. Upon receiving the email, Linderman told Rodger's mother to examine what her son had sent. Rodger's mother quickly accessed the email, uncovering his manifesto. Disturbed by its contents and after finding Rodger's "Retribution" video online, she immediately called Rodger's father who was at dinner with friends and notified him about what she found. Rodger's mother set off by herself, while his father and Akaaboune traveled in another car, both parties rushing towards Isla Vista while calling the authorities. Meanwhile, Rodger proceeded to the Alpha Phi sorority house, attempting to get in by knocking on the door for three minutes. When no one answered, Rodger got frustrated and returned to his car. He then noticed three women, 19-year-old Veronika Weiss, 22-year-old Katherine "Katie" Cooper, and a 20-year-old woman, members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, walking around the corner of the Alpha Phi sorority house. As the women were walking back to their Delta Delta Delta sorority house, Rodger slowly approached them in his car and, from an open window, fired multiple shots at them. He sped away and people noticed the women bleeding on the grass. One person started giving Cooper CPR, while another tried to comfort Weiss by holding her head and speaking to her, but when the police arrived, the two women were already dead. The 20-year-old woman, in a call with her mother, was crying repeatedly that she was going to die. A deputy arrived to provide aid to her, applying pressure to her wounds. A bystander then came and continued to administer first aid while the deputy joined the pursuit of Rodger. A person told the women's mother over the phone that her daughter was going to survive.

After driving away from the sorority house, Rodger executed a three-point turn in a driveway along Pardall Road. Driving past a closed coffee shop on Pardall, he discharged a shot toward it. Continuing his rampage, he proceeded to the IV Deli Mart, where he unleashed a barrage of gunfire at individuals nearby. 20-year-old Christopher Michaels-Martinez was at the Deli's entrance and turned around to look at Rodger's car when he was shot in the chest, resulting in injuries to his liver and the right ventricle of his heart. Michaels-Martinez managed to stumble inside the deli but fell to the ground. Rodger continued to fire additional shots into the deli, shattering windows and sending people scrambling for cover. Rodger then drove away and despite CPR attempts by a 19-year-old woman and sheriff's deputy, Michaels-Martinez died. Rodger continued driving, striking a man with his vehicle, knocking him into the air. Driving on the wrong side of the street, he collided with another pedestrian and fired shots at two individuals on the sidewalk, narrowly missing them. He then targeted a couple exiting a pizzeria and a female cyclist. Going randomly down several streets, Rodger engaged in an exchange of gunfire with a sheriff's deputy, injuring two pedestrians in the process. Continuing, he shot and wounded three more individuals on Sabado Tarde Street, striking a skateboarder and two cyclists with his vehicle before shooting two men at another intersection. Near the intersection of El Embarcadero and Sabado Tarde, Rodger engaged in a shootout with four sheriff's deputies, sustaining a gunshot wound to the hip. Desperate to evade capture, Rodger drove away, striking another cyclist whose impact shattered the car's windshield. Rodger's attempt to flee made him crash into a parked vehicle. As law enforcement officers surrounded the car, they mistakenly handcuffed the injured cyclist, initially suspecting him to be a potential second assailant. Realizing their error, they provided him with medical attention, acknowledging him as a victim rather than an accomplice. Upon searching Rodger's vehicle, police discovered his lifeless body, having succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Items found in car
------------------

Memorial wall honoring the first three victims killed in the 2014 Isla Vista killings. From left to right: George Chen, Weihan "David" Wang, and Cheng Yuan "James" Hong.
Inside Rodger's car, authorities found a cache of weaponry, including a Glock 34 handgun, two SIG Sauer P226 handguns, over 500 additional rounds of live ammunition, and the two knives he used to kill his two roommates and their friend. The entire shooting spree unfolded within eight minutes, during which Rodger discharged approximately 55 9mm rounds. During the shootings, Rodger used only one of the three pistols, the SIG Sauer P226, which was discovered on the driver's seat of his car.

#### Victims killed

Rodger's rampage resulted in the deaths of six people, all University of California, Santa Barbara students, with 14 others sustaining injuries.

* 20-year-old Weihan "David" Wang (stabbed to death)
* 20-year-old Cheng Yuan "James" Hong (stabbed to death)
* 19-year-old George Chen (stabbed to death)
* 22-year-old Katherine "Katie" Breanne Cooper (shot to death)
* 19-year-old Veronika Elizabeth Weiss (shot to death)
* 20-year-old Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez (shot to death)

Apartment search and aftermath
------------------------------

Rodger made a hand drawing of a person getting stabbed.
A final handwritten journal entry Rodger made before his attacks.
Following the attacks, law enforcement obtained a search warrant to conduct a protective sweep of Rodger's apartment. After removing a window screen, authorities looked inside and found Chen's body lying in a fetal position on the bathroom floor. They breached the apartment and also found the bodies of Hong and Wang in their bedroom. When they searched Rodger's room, they found it to be in disarray, finding pharmacy documents for prescriptions, two gun cleaning kits, Monster Energy drinks, lottery tickets, a copy of *The Art of Seduction*, various video games, and a Starbucks coffee cup. Additionally, police found a folding knife, a "zombie killer" knife with a 10-inch blade, an 18-inch blade machete, a sledgehammer, and multiple other knives. They also found a hand-drawn picture of something getting stabbed and a printed copy of Rodger's 137-page manifesto. His laptop was found open to YouTube, displaying his recently uploaded "Retribution" video. A handwritten journal was left open to an entry dated May 23, 2014, reading: 

> I had to tear some pages out because I feared my intentions would be discovered. I taped them back together as fast as I could. This is it. In one hour I will have my revenge on this cruel world. I HATE YOU ALLLL! DIE.
> 
> 

Because of the attacks, some men on social media and in the comment sections of Rodger's YouTube videos expressed empathy with his viewpoints and struggles. Among the comments, there were suggestions that Rodger's situation could have been solved if he had visited a prostitute, while others were convinced that his murder sprees were justified because of women's rejection of him. Rodger's actions has lead to an online following, with some internet users on platforms like 4chan and Reddit idolizing him, referring to him as a "saint" and commemorating "Saint Elliot Day" on the anniversary of his attacks. He brought the incel community into the mainstream, with it having been praised by young men around the world who identify as Incels, believing that they deserved sex.

Tribute songs have been posted, and merchandise such as t-shirts showing a photo of Rodger photo have been created and sold, with some individuals even making videos to showcase the clothes. Within incel forums, there's talk of violence against women and sexually successful men, derogatorily referred to as "Chads" and "Stacys." References to "E.R." are common on incel forums, and committing acts of violence is described as "going E.R." Additionally, Rodger's name has been invoked by individuals linked to or responsible for other mass killings. On April 23, 2018, 25-year-old Alek Minassian carried out an attack in Toronto, Canada, by driving a van through the city, resulting in the deaths of 11 people and 15 others being injured. Before his attack, Minassian posted on his Facebook:

> Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!
> 
>