7 Dead in Drive-By Shootings in Santa Barbara

7 others injured near campus; one suspect among dead
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 24, 2014 6:12 AM CDT
7 Dead in Drive-By Shootings in Santa Barbara
In this image provided by KEYT-TV, a body is covered on the ground after a mass shooting near the campus of the UC Santa Barbara in Isla Vista, Calif.   (AP Photo/KEYT, John Palminteri)

Police say seven people are dead and another seven injured after a series of drive-by shootings near UC Santa Barbara last night, reports KEYT-TV. Police are still unraveling what happened during the 10-minute rampage in the Isla Vista neighborhood, but they say the suspect is among the dead. Witnesses reported seeing a black BMW speeding around spraying bullets at multiple locations, beginning about 9:30pm, reports AP. The Santa Barbara County sheriff said the driver exchanged fire with deputies before crashing into a parked car, and was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. It wasn't clear whether it was self-inflicted.

"This was a premeditated mass murder," says Sheriff Bill Brown. Police have identified the suspect but haven't made the name public yet, and it might take a while to sort through all the conflicting reports. Multiple witnesses, for example, say they saw two people in the BMW. "It was chaotic and there's a lot of rumors flying around," one witness tells the LA Times. "It was so strange; afterwards there was still people outside riding their bikes. One guy was doing his homework." (More UC Santa Barbara stories.)

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