John Zawahri Identified As Santa Monica Shooter, Death Toll Rises to 6 As Troubling Details Come To Light
A violent shooting spree last Friday that claimed the lives of six people and wounded several others has left the Santa Monica community in shock. Now, new details are coming to light about the life and checkered past of the now-slain gunman.
John Zawahri, 23, is the man that turned Santa Monica into a tragic shooting range, and it appears that trouble had been brewing for quite some time. At the very least, officials are confident that this was not a spur of the moment act, but rather, the result of a well-planned decision.
"Any time someone puts on a vest of some sort, comes out with a bag full of loaded magazines ... has a handgun and has a semiautomatic rifle, carjacks folks, goes to a college, kills more people and has to be killed at the hands of police," Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said, "... that's premeditated."
Sources close to the family said that there were numerous signs pointing to Zawahri's violent outburst. For one, they noted that he had an intese fascination with guns, and that they were all worried about it even before the shootings. His parents' strained relationship also did not help matters.
"Several of the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Zawahri had struggled with his parents' bitter divorce. He also had a history of mental issues, the sources said, but they could not be more specific," noted an article by the Los Angeles Times.
Apparently, his parents divorced in 1993. There are also court documents noting a second separation in 1998, citing domestic abuse among the reasons for the split. Unfortunately, these were not the only signs of impending trouble.
During his time at Santa Monica High, Zawahri also had problems that pointed to his violent side. A school resource officer said that he got in trouble at the school for threatening both teachers and students, as well as for reportedly making pipe bombs. He was eventually hospitalized and put under a 72-hour mental evaluation.
"I cannot discuss this former student's record due to strict privacy laws, but I can stress, that as a matter of policy, any time a student demonstrates concerning behavior, our district works closely with law enforcement and mental health agencies to take swift action," said a district school superintendent.
Five people, including Zawahri, were killed in the initial attack. Another victim was critically injured but died from her injuries over the weekend.
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