Santa Monica Gunman Had 1K+ Bullets

Shooter's family had troubled past
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 11, 2013 2:48 AM CDT
Updated Jun 11, 2013 5:38 AM CDT
Santa Monica Gunman Had More Than 1K Bullets
This photo provided by the Santa Monica Police Department shows John Zawahri, 23.   (AP Photo/Santa Monica Police Department)

The man who killed five people in the Santa Monica shooting rampage was carrying enough ammunition to cause some serious casualties, sources close to the investigation tell the Los Angeles Times. John Zawahri, who died in a gun battle with police, was armed with AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle and at least one other firearm and carried around 40 magazines capable of holding 30 bullets each, the sources say. Ammunition was found strapped all over his body and in pouches in his clothing.

Zawahri, 23, killed his father and older brother at the beginning of his rampage and court records have shed light on the family's troubled past, the AP reports. In 1998, Zawahri's mother filed for a restraining order as the marriage fell apart, accusing her husband of beating her and threatening to kill her at least twice. "The defendant said that he would do anything to make my life miserable and that he could kill me and no restraining order can stop him," she said. The mother, who was visiting relatives in Lebanon during the shooting, has returned to the US and has spoken with investigators. (More Santa Monica stories.)

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