The Friday drive-by shooting by a 22 year-old college student has sparked debate on what the legal threshold is to warrant a police response. Based on an assessment of Elliott Rodger's profile, he was a mild-mannered, shy and sensible young adult.
The Los Angeles Times said that Rodger enjoyed sunsets, mountain vistas and retro pop music. His mantra about the world was that it was a magical and beautiful place until that one fateful day where an event had made him change his view about his life.
Rodger, who is a privileged son of a Hollywood director, killed six people and wounded 13 others while driving by an area near the University of California, Santa Barbara. According to family friend Adam Krentzman, Elliott was receiving mental health care by his caring and loving family until he shunned it all upon reaching the age of 18. Elliott allegedly was bitter about the students who are living carefree in the tight-knit community in Isla Vista. He was also particularly harboring anger against attractive women as he considered himself to be a great catch.
Prior to the shooting, Rodger was involved in an altercation involving several women whom he shoved off a ledge they were sitting on at a party. The LA Times said several men intervened, which resulted to Rodger injuring his ankle. Although police had shown up to interview Rodger at a clinic for his injuries, a Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokeswoman said Sunday that the incident was not a "red flag" ahead of a crime since he had started the altercation.
When Rodger began to work on his plan to shoot people, he was able to purchase guns legally by abiding the state's background check system and waiting periods. Although his mental health treatment was another "red flag," gun laws state that Rodgers would have to be subject to an involuntary treatment in order to be rejected from purchasing his guns.
Referring to the police's first visit to the Rodgers after mental health professionals alerted authorities about Elliott's disturbing videos on YouTube, San Francisco psychiatrist Dr George Woods, who teaches mental health and the law topics, said that officers could have investigated Rodger's mental state aggressively. "If they're just saying someone is not functioning well and exhibiting signs of depression, I can't see that they'd have a reason to do that," he added.
