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CNN NEWSROOM
Seven Dead and Seven Wounded after Shooting Spree Near University of California at Santa Barbara; Pope Tours Holy Land; Ukraine Prepares for Elections
Aired May 24, 2014 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN Newsroom. Chaos and confusion on the streets of a small college town after a gunman opens fire. It happened last night in Isla Vista, California, just west of Santa Barbara. Police say the gunman drove slowly through several neighborhoods, shooting at people in nine different locations. Six people were killed, and seven others wounded. The gunman was found dead in his car after a firefight with police. Kyung Lah is live for us in Isla Vista and Evan Perez in Washington. Let's begin with you, Kyung. You're right in front of a very active crime scene. What is being learned today?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have learned this is the second crime scene. We were actually just a short time ago at a sorority house, where witnesses there tell us there were two people who were killed outside that sorority house. We do not know what relation they have with the sorority house, if they just happened to be outside, but that's one scene.
This is a second scene, and you can see that there is plenty of police tape. There are officers here. They are still trying to piece together exactly the chain of events. There was one person who was struck here by that black BMW right outside this apartment complex. There was also someone who was shot right outside the 7-Eleven on the corner.
If you take a look here, you can see that some of the students who live inside this apartment building, they're still waking up. Some of them excited to be on TV, but they are just trying to grapple with what's happened here. If you look below the window of an empty business, it's been shot out. This is being repeated across this sleepy little town. There are nine of these scenes where officers have roped off the area. They are picking up bullet casing, trying to figure out the exact path of the BMW.
But it appears to us, Fredricka, that what he's done is zigzag his way up and down residential areas. It was 9:30 in the evening. A lot of students were preparing to leave their apartments or were already out in the street for a fun night out. It is Memorial Day weekend, and it is something that a lot of the students here say that they are simply shell shocked by. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And then, Kyung, our investigators, are they saying anything more about things they are examining, like this written note that may have been from the gunman, or the video evidence? Are they saying anything more about what they're learning from that?
LAH: They are looking through a large amount of written material that's been posted on the web, as well as a number of video blogs and video postings. They're quite disturbing. They have not released the name of the suspect yet, but what they have told us they are looking at this. They believe that this was planned, this was premeditated. And that's perhaps what's most disturbing to many of these students who all view this video who worry that this was one of their own. This was someone who they possibly knew, who they went to school with.
WHITFIELD: Very frightening. Thanks so much, Kyung Lah.
Let's check in with Evan Perez in Washington, checking his sources on the east coast, from the east coast, reaching out to many of them on the west coast. So, Evan, you know, what are they telling you about what they're learning, how they hope to go about getting more information about the motive and the suspect?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fred. One of the things that federal law enforcement brings to the table here is the ability to look through some of this evidence. Obviously, there's a lot of bullet casings, shell casings to go through. The ATF is on the scene, we're told, by the AFT that they sent some resources there. They have a very active scene right there with some ballistic testing that they can do. They can check to see where the gunman might have obtained the handgun that he used, and when he obtained this. Again, that goes to his preparation and whether or not -- you know, how long he's been thinking about doing this.
There's also, obviously, some assistance they can render, the federal law enforcement authorities can render, as far as examining some of this video stuff, some of the written stuff that he ended up leaving behind. He does appear to have left behind a trove of evidence that tries to maybe explain why he did this. And so that's going to take the next few days as authorities try to assist the Santa Barbara police that are trying to get to the bottom of this, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And the reason why federal investigators are involved is because it's an investigation that -- you know, the smaller Santa Barbara police or sheriff's department wouldn't be able to handle?
PEREZ: Well, I think they probably have a good police department. It's not a very small town necessarily, but it's probably something they don't deal with very often, and, sad to say, federal law enforcement has to deal with this all over the country repeatedly. We've had way too many of these things happen in the last few months. So sad to say they have a lot more experience in doing this stuff.
We know from the sheriff's office that they've brought in the California Department of Justice crime lab to help them do, go through some of this evidence. So that's also in play as well. But, you know, the federal law enforcement has a lot more experience dealing with these scenes, and so they can lend some assistance where need, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much. And Kyung Lah, appreciate it.
We're hearing from several eyewitnesses, most of them still in shock and disbelief that this could even happen in their small college town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HASSAN, DELI OWNER: It's crazy. That's the last thing I would expect in Santa Barbara to happen, especially in IV. Santa Barbara and IV is like one of the safest cities, and nice cities, too, you know? And all of a sudden you just hear about shooting and this -- something like -- I still do not believe this happened.
CAYLA BERGMAN, UCSB STUDENT: All of a sudden we hear, like, five really loud gunshots, and originally I thought it was fireworks or something, because it was so loud and we're kind of used to these loud noises around here. Then all of a sudden a bunch of people from outside just started running into the store, and we're all, like, just take cover. Take cover. Everyone just comes pouring in.
DERRICK POE, UCSB STUDENT: Loud things happen all the time. But then, like, when people started running in and getting down and huddling in corner, then that's when I was like, this is real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Very real. Our coverage continues, and when we come back we'll hear from the sheriff himself what he said happened during that deadly 10-minute shooting spree.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIENNA SCHWARTZ, SHOT AT BY GUNMAN: And then he, like, lifted up like a little blast pistol, and -- and -- and, like, I just thought it was like an air soft gun or something. So I was like -- I was like, hey, what's up? Then I turned around and I started walking the other way, and -- he shot, and I felt, I just felt the wind like past right by my face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That young lady is describes her close brush with death, saying she is one of the people the gunman actually shot at last night in Isla Vista, California. I want to update you now on this breaking news out of southern California. Police say a gunman drove through that college town near U.C. Santa Barbara shooting and killing six people. Seven other injured, including several people hit by the gunman as he drove through the crowded area, right in that downtown area. John Palminteri is a reporter with CNN affiliate KEYT. He was one of the first people on the scene and he gave us an update just a bit ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN PALMINTERI, REPORTER, KEYT (via telephone): It doesn't appear that we know of that he was trying to drive into people. I haven't heard any eyewitness say he was weaving around and doing that. You have that shot of the windshield of the car that you've been showing our audience that is smashed in as it is in the location where it wrecked at the final stop where the suspect, alleged gunman, was taken out of the car and had that head injury. And that windshield is smashed in, and witnesses and experts from the investigation team have told me personally that that kind of impact that smashes the windshield like that is definitely from someone going up and over and into, and pointed out saying that's the bicyclist that hit the windshield.
So we believe on that same street, which is called Del Playa Drive, which is one stop from the ocean's edge on Isla Vista. And that is always crowded with young people on a Friday night, both by bikes. It's a heavily used bike community. There's probably 10,000 to 15,000 bicyclists out there on the campus and on foot. So anybody driving down that street is likely to hit somebody if they're driving, either speeding, running from the cops or driving erratically. It's a tragedy.
And that also speaks to that they were calling on the police and fire scanners aggressively for as many ambulances as they could and trying to deploy them and make sure they could sort them out. And that particular victim may not have been one of the first ones that was assisted by an ambulance service, but was assisted by sheriff deputies on the radio calling, we need one here. We need an ambulance for this bicyclist with a traumatic head injury right now. And that was in addition to all the responses for the gunshots going on at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, next, we'll hear from the sheriff, what he said happened during that deadly 10-minute shooting spree near U.C. Santa Barbara.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, as it pertains to that shooting spree last night in Santa Barbara County, police will have another press briefing at 4:00 pacific time, 7:00 eastern time. Meantime, earlier Sheriff Bill Brown had this to say about the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF BILL BROWN, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: This incident appears to be a mass murder situation. The timeline as we've been able to put it together thus far is as follows -- at 9:27 p.m., the sheriff's dispatch center received calls of multiple gunshots being fired in the Isla Vista area. We had deputies in the area on foot who also heard a number of shots being fired. The deputies began responding in the direction of the gunshots, and immediately found several victims who were suffering from gunshot wounds.
As they were performing first aid on those victims, they were also receiving suspect information and a vehicle description. As this was occurring, additional shots were fired, and calls were received by the sheriff's dispatch from several areas in Isla Vista. During this initial stage, both the suspect and the suspect vehicle descriptions were broadcast to those law enforcement personnel who were in the area.
At 9:33 p.m., six minutes after the initial call was received, the suspect engaged a group of responding deputies with gunfire. The deputies returned fire and the suspect fled in his vehicle. Seconds later, the suspect was again spotted by another deputy. Another exchange of gunfire occurred at that time. The suspect fled down Del Playa, and eventually crashed into a parked vehicle.
The deputies approached the crashed vehicle and determined that the suspect within that vehicle was dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the head, a handgun was recovered from within that vehicle. Although we have preliminarily identified the suspect, we are not releasing the suspect's name until a positive identification can be made. Currently the sheriff's office is not looking for any additional suspects. We believe this suspect acted alone.
This is still a very active investigation, and, as you can imagine, a very chaotic series of crime scenes. It is still in the very early phases of the investigation. We've identified nine separate crime scenes within the area and multiple victims who were either shot or injured as a result of -- apparently as a result of the suspect's actions. Seven victims are in area hospitals being treated for gunshot wounds or for traumatic injuries. At least one of those victims has undergone surgery for life-threatening injuries.
We currently have seven confirmed dead. That includes the suspect and six victims. We are in the process of identifying those victims and notifying their next of kin.
We have obtained and we are currently analyzing both written and videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder. The sheriff's office is currently interviewing multiple witnesses to these crimes, and we are asking for the public's assistance. If there's anyone who has not yet been spoken to by law enforcement authorities, we would ask if you have information about this crime, or series of crimes, if you would contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office tip line at 805-681- 4171.
And I would like to acknowledge and thank those allied agencies who are currently assisting us in this investigation. In addition to patrol and investigative personnel from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, we are being assisted by the U.C. Santa Barbara Police Department, by the California Highway Patrol, by the Santa Barbara Police Department, by the district attorney investigators, by the California state parks law enforcement personnel, and by criminalists from the Department of Justice crime lab.
I know that this information that I'm giving you at this point is somewhat preliminary. We are going to work diligently to get you more information in detail, including the identity of the suspect and the victims. The next press conference is going to be scheduled for 4:00 p.m. today at a location to be determined. We will notify you through our regular processes of where that press conference will be held.
Two things that I just want to say in closing. The first is I want to commend the deputy sheriffs who engaged very resolutely this suspect very shortly after we were notified of this incident. There's no question in my mind at this point that their resolute actions and valor in doing so very well may have prevented further loss of life and injury. I also want to let the families of the victims know that our hearts go out to them at this tragic time, and we will be doing all that we can in the -- in the near future to try to identify the actual circumstances, the complete background information as so forth, about this horrific series of events that occurred this evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: People in a California college town are trying to come to grips with a nightmare that unfolded on their streets last night. Investigators in Isla Vista, the home of U.C. Santa Barbara, say a gunman opened fire from a slow-moving car, shooting at people on the sidewalk. We have crews covering every angle of this story. Kyung Lah is live in Isla Vista and Evan Perez in Washington. Let's begin with you, Kyung. You're right in front of a very active crime scene. What is the latest?
LAH: They're still trying to piece together all of the evidence. There's a large number of bullets in many, many locations. We are at the second location. You can see that the tape is up, officers still trying to figure out the exact events of what has been a devastating rampage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: The eve of the Memorial Day holiday weekend turns deadly after multiple drive-by shootings in the small college town of Isla Vista, just minutes from the University of California Santa Barbara campus.
SCHWARTZ: He shot and I felt the wind pass right by my face. So I started running in the opposite way and then I heard it again, like, two times. So I was just sprinting.
LAH: In all, authorities say seven people were killed, including the gunman. Seven others injured. Those hurt sent to a local hospital for gunshot or traumatic injuries.
BROWN: We've identified nine separate crime scenes within the area, and multiple victims.
LAH: And 19-year-old Summer Young says she was almost run over by the black BMW, and witnessed the shooting.
SUMMER YOUNG, WITNESS: I saw the car run down here. He was just firing off shots, and then we just ran inside the nearest restaurant and just waited until some stuff calmed do down. It was really hectic.
LAH: Federal and local authorities continue to dig on the gunman's past, who was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound. Investigators are now trying to trace the handgun used and where the suspect obtained it. authorities see they are now analyzing both written and video evidence that suggests this was a premeditated mass murder.
BROWN: The problem with an incident like this is it's obviously the work of a madman, and you are, you know, it's just unfortunate that these kinds of circumstances occur, but there are very, very limited ways in which they can be prevented.
LAH: Shock and disbelief in this small college town, with many questions. Including the big one -- why?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: Back here live, what you're looking at is one window of this commercial building that appears to have its window shot out. Some of the students who have been mingling around here told us that they did hear the gunfire, that they saw at least one person run over at this location. There are a number of places like this that we've walked through. The students all tell us the same things as well, that they saw bullets. They saw people almost getting run over. There was a bicyclist at the end of this where the black BMW ended. The bicyclist appears to have been hit by that BMW.
And we're also getting now, Fredricka, from Santa Barbara City College. They're extending their sadness but not very specific on whether or not the person, the suspect involved here, was a student or not. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Kyung Lah, thank you so much. Appreciate that.
All right, let's check in with Evan Perez now. Evan, what are you hearing from your contacts about this investigation?
PEREZ: Well, Fred, the federal law enforcement has been brought in the to help the Santa Barbara sheriff's office do this investigation, and what they bring to the table is simply the ability to help trace the gun, the firearm that was used here and was recovered at the scene. They're also -- if the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office needs it, they can provide some evidence, analysis help.
The FBI offered has its assistance. It's not clear whether the sheriff's office needs it. They did mention at their press at 2:00 a.m. that they were looking to, for the help of the California Justice Department crime lab to help do some of the analysis here.
Now, in the next few days they're going to look not only at the shell casings Kyung Lah mentioned. There were several crime screens. I think the Sheriff's office said there were nine. So they're going to be looking at all those in the next couple of days. And they're also going to be looking at some of the video evidence, some of the writings of this person who is believed to have carried out the shootings. And they're going to be trying to see whether this explains perhaps his motivation. We know from looking at some of this video that he had expressed, the person that is believed to have carried this out, expressed some loneliness and being rebuffed by women. Perhaps that explains it. We don't know. But that is obviously something that will take a few days for investigators to go through, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Evan Perez, Kyung Lah, thanks to both of you, appreciate it.
Straight ahead, much more on the deadly mass shooting in California, and next, other top stories we're following, including Pope Francis' historic whirlwind trip through the holy land.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Shock and disbelief in a small college town in California after a gunman opens fire from this car shooting people in nine different locations. It happened last night in Isla Vista, west of Santa Barbara. Six people were killed and seven others wounded. Authorities say deputies exchanged fire with the suspect after arriving on the scene. The gunman fled, but then police caught up with him and exchanged gunfire again. The suspect drove off and then crashed into a parked car. He was found dead with a gunshot wound to his head. It's unclear right now if he killed himself or if he was shot by deputies in that exchange of gunfire.
And overseas, Pope Francis is now on a whirlwind three-day tour throughout the holy land, and on his trip he will shake hands with religious and political leaders in three cities and deliver at least 13 speeches and homilies. Earlier today the Pope visited the Jordan River where many Christians believe Jesus was baptized. He described his trip as a pilgrimage of prayer. But as Becky Anderson explains, in the Middle East politics is never far behind.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, the first of two full-on masses just being completed behind me here at the sports city stadium, 25,000 Christians here in the audience, 1,400 kids getting their first communion. This has been one of the highlights of this, the first day of this whirlwind trip.
Now, the Pope billed this tour as a pilgrimage of prayer and said it was strictly religious, not political. But in his first speech just before this mass at the palace with the king of Jordan, King Abdullah, he acknowledged with deep regretted the continued grave tension in the Middle East are called for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria and for a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. You're hearing people cheering at the Pope leaves the stage.
He is now traveling with two old friends, two Argentinians, Rabbi Avraham Skorka who co-wrote a book with the Pope, and Sheik Omar Abboud, who leads Argentina's Muslim community. This is an interfaith dialogue. Peace between Israelis and Palestinians has been one of his main foreign policy proclaiming, as it were, in his first year as pontiff. He's on record as saying he supports a two-state solution. So this is a religious tour, but believe me, it will have a political edge. Fred?
WHITFIELD: Becky Anderson, thank you so much.
Now to the volatile situation in Ukraine right now. Tomorrow the people will go to the polls to elect a new president. Polling places are already being set up, ballots being distributed. The election comes in the midst of separatist violence. And maybe a hopeful sign, what looks like Russian forces moving back from the Ukraine border. Ukraine's prime minister says tomorrow we will prove to the world and first of all to ourselves that it is not possible to intimidate us. Our Jim Sciutto joins us live from Donetsk. So with two breakaway regions in Ukraine already calling themselves Republics, what's as stake in these elections? Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: What's at stake, Fred, is really a unified Ukraine. Earlier today I was just down in the square here in Donetsk where there is still a statue of Lenin. And under that statue you had representative of the separatists, the pro-Russian separatists, declare a new Republican, calling it a novo Russia, a new Russia, joining Donetsk region, which we are in here in the neighboring Luhansk region, a country independent of Ukraine, closer to Russia, and also at the same time trying to deny people a vote in tomorrow's election.
We traveled outside of Donetsk, went to some polling stations not far from here, a 20, 30-minute drive, and found separatists, militants had raided those polling stations. They burned all the ballots, broke in the ballot boxes. And then we met one of those militants who showed me this. This was an order issued by the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic ordering all the polling stations closed there and in effect denying the people the right to vote.
So this is really what's at stake. For the whole country, can Ukraine be united going forward? And there are real challenges in the eastern part of the country, these militants, the declaration of a new republic, but also violence threatened against people who do choose or attempt to vote tomorrow in the presidential elections.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my, very volatile situation still potentially, very violent. Jim Sciutto, appreciate that. Thank you.
All right, some of the other big stories crossing the CNN news desk. Under pressure from the White House, Congress, and veterans, the VA has ordered a system-wide review of all of the VA hospitals processes to speed up care to veterans. An internal memo obtained by CNN says the Veterans Health administration, quote, "has developed a coordinated, system-wide initiative to accelerate care to veterans and promptly communicated this to those in the field on May 22nd, with implementation occurring the morning of May 23rd."
A bad wildfire crisis in Arizona could get even worse this holiday weekend. With 10,000 acres between Flagstaff and Sedona already scorched, fire officials say the hot, dry, windy weather isn't going to let up. An army of fire crews including hot shot teams and air tankers is trying to contain the fire. But the wind and this tinder dry pine needles are fueling all of it. That fire is only now five percent contained.
Suzuki is recalling 184,000 cars built by GM. The Japanese automaker says the recalled vehicles include the Suzuki Forenza and the Reno. Both cars were made by GM in South Korea and are sold here in the U.S. The recall has to do with an overheating head lamp switch that could melt or actually catch fire. Suzuki says it will notify drivers and fix the problem for free.
All right, the lucky ones across the country caught a view just like this overnight. Oh, my gosh, now that is a meteor shower, and it lit up the sky. Looking like, kind of -- I don't know, like little nighttime birds or something right across the heavens there. And tonight, if you're in the right spot, you could see the last part of that shower, a large comet streaked, right by the earth. Celestial conditions were just right for last night's meteor shower. But if you missed it, experts say it isn't like to repeat next year.
All right, coming up, more coverage of that horrific shooting spree in California, how will students cope after a gunman's killed six people near a busy university campus?
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WHITFIELD: All right, hours now after that deadly shooting spree last night in California, at least one lawmaker from that state is offering condolences. I'm talking about Congresswoman Lois Capps giving this statement now, quote, "We are all grieving over the lives claimed in this senseless tragedy last nice in Isla Vista. Now is a time for us as a community to come together and pray for the victims, give strength to those who are injured and support all who were touched by this unconscionable act," end quote.
So that deadly shooting spree north of Los Angeles, it is one that has investigators focusing on the motive. The sheriff says a gunman shot and killed six people while driving through that college town of Isla Vista, home to the University of California Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Community College. So the gunman is now dead and seven others are wounded. Earlier I spoke with Robert Johnson, with the U.C. Santa Barbara student newspaper, and he actually witnessed one of the shootings last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT JOHNSON, WITNESS TO SHOOTING: I was on, standing on the corner of two of the larger streets in the area, and then first I heard some popping sounds in the distance, and I originally thought it was just fireworks or firecrackers because it's not uncommon to hear that in this area.
But soon after a black BMW passed through the intersection where I was and continued down the street heading away from me, and then I heard a's popping that sounded like it came from the car, and I looked over at it, and I remember thinking, it was -- it sounded like it had backfired, and I remember thinking it was strange because it was a brand new car. And then there was a second popping sound from it, and then by that point it had reached -- it was right outside of a convenience store, deli, that it looked like there may be eight to 10 people outside in front of it. And then at that point someone inside the car started firing upon that crowd there.
WHITFIELD: And so, Robert, when you saw this vehicle, you know, you described it as a black BMW going by, and you figured out this is where that sound was coming from, was it traveling fast? Was it going very slow? Do you recall?
JOHNSON: It seemed to be going slower than you normally would go on these streets here. I mean, they are heavily trafficked with bikers and pedestrians, so most people don't drive fast around here. But it seemed to be going markedly slower.
WHITFIELD: And were people scattering? Once there was a realization this is gunfire and not what could be the usual fireworks in the neighborhood, was there panic? Describe people's reaction.
JOHNSON: I saw him fire upon that group in front of the store, and then they all -- everyone being fired upon jumped up and tried to get inside the store, at which point I turned around and started running the other way.
WHITFIELD: And this is a holiday weekend, and I understand some, you know, students are still at the school, you know, in session, or they haven't gone away for the weekend or even home. Was it particularly less crowded in this area compared to most other weekends, or quite the opposite?
JOHNSON: It seems like it was a little less busy than it normally is on a Friday night. Yes.
WHITFIELD: And then once people realized, you know, this is a shooting, and you described how some people responded, was it an issue of even some people, some students, some of the pedestrians trying to help or come to the aid of those who had been hit?
JOHNSON: I can't answer that question, because, as I said earlier, as soon as I realized what was going on, I was with my friend at the time and we went into his apartment. And then from there we couldn't really get a good view of the street.
WHITFIELD: OK. And then, Robert, now this morning, many hours after, you know what took place last night, what are you feeling like this morning?
JOHNSON: I've actually been awake for the last 25 or so hours. So I'm just really tired now. And I guess I was actually at the press conference that the sheriff held, and there's still lots of questions to be answered. They haven't released any names yet. So I think everyone is just confused about what happened and everyone just wants answers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, confused, that's what a lot of people are feeling, particularly those in that community who were eyewitness to what took place last night. So how should or how can many of them cope from here?
Jeff Gardere is back with me now from New York. He's a clinical and forensic psychologist. Jeff, you just heard from one young man who says there's a feeling of confusion. He feels confused even though he was part of it, saw it, and that's what a lot of others are feeling. So how do you help a lot of these young people process what happened?
JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL AND FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, the first thing you have to do is stabilize the situation, and I believe law enforcement and school officials have done that. And then the very next thing you do, of course, is offer them a catharsis. With the police it's with the debriefing. With the schools, of course the counseling being available to able to talk about what's going on.
But the young man who was on before me really brings up something that is vital -- getting the proper information. What happened? Was this a student? Was it someone they may have known, someone from the community, someone outside of the community? So before they can get rid of all of that confusion, the only way to do that, of course, is to get as many facts as possible. And that will begin to come out, as it is right now.
WHITFIELD: And you mentioned the counseling, how important that is. In fact a statement from the University of California Santa Barbara, it says the university has been making -- has been making counseling services available for students throughout the night, and they set up emergency housing for displaced students. The university is also setting up a call center for parents and students with questions. What do you suppose many of the questions are going to be, whether it be from parents or students, as it pertains to this, meaning the gunman is now dead. Of course, don't know why he did this, but it's a matter of, you know, kind of moving on, moving away from what took place?
GARDERE: Well, the parents, of course, want to know that their kids are OK. They want to know whether they were close to the shooting. Did they have a friend who may have died? Is there anything that they could do? Are think children afraid? And, of course, the kids will be asking their parents, telling their parents that they may be OK or they need to come home, or they need help of some sort, or they may be displaced. Of course, again, the university is making housing available for those students.
But I think, Fredricka, this is going to be a long, drawn out process. The school is going to have to educate them about PTSD. This is what you get when you have been in a traumatic situation, afraid you may have been hurt, or you know someone who's been hurt or lost their lives. And so they have to educate them as to what the symptoms will be in the next few days. And, of course, as the names are released of the people injured and killed, now it becomes even more traumatic, and then you start the process again of the counseling, of the grief counseling, and, of course, the religious services. All of those things will help in time, but this is something that is going to be an ongoing process of trauma and healing, trauma and healing.
WHITFIELD: And, you know, you talk about information. The sheriff says, you know, he believes this gunman was a madman, and that this was, you know, a premeditated event. How will that assist people in processing what took place, or how might it actually, I guess, provoke new fears, you know, about perfect strangers, or even people they know? GARDERE: Well, there are no safe havens anymore. Schools used to be the safe haven, the idyllic settings where our children discover themself and their individuality and individuation away from parents. So it's a very scary world. There's no place to hide.
And I think what this will tell people is, look, there are a lot of folks out there who have emotional issues. This person may not have been a schizophrenic or a bipolar, may have been a personality disorder, someone who was more psychopathic than anything else. And, therefore, there's not much that we can do about that. We could look at the red flags, the isolation, the hate, the anger, blaming society, and try to give these people help, try to socialize them a little bit more.
But what it tells us is, these things are random, but we have to be attentive and reach out and help people who feel that they've been isolated or are actually isolated in society.
WHITFIELD: Jeff Gardere, thanks so much.
GARDERE: Pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right, we're heading back to southern California live in the next hour for the latest are on the shootings that have left six dead plus the gunman.
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