US college killer 'held a grudge'
The gunman who shot seven dead at a small US university had been upset with its administration and felt “mistreated” and “disrespected” by students, police said.
South Korean-born former student, 43-year-old One L. Goh, turned himself in at a nearby supermarket shortly after the shootings at Oikos University in California that also left three people wounded, trapped some in the building and forced others to flee.
It was an “extremely chaotic scene”, police Chief Howard Jordan said. “It’s going to take us a few days to put the pieces together.”
He told “Good Morning America” that Goh, a South Korean, was “upset with the administration of the school” and that felt he had been “mistreated” and “disrespected” by students.
Five died at the scene and another two died at the hospital. The wounded victims were in stable condition, and at least one person had been released from the hospital.
Tashi Wangchuk, whose wife attended the school and witnessed the shooting, said he was told by police that the gunman first shot a woman at the front desk, then continued shooting randomly in classrooms.
Mr Wangchuk said his wife, Dechen Wangzom, was in her nursing class when she heard gunshots. She locked the door and turned off the lights.
The gunman “banged on the door several times and started shooting outside and left”, he said.
Mr Wangchuk said no one was hurt inside, but the gunman shot out the glass in the door.
Art Richards said he was driving by the university on his way to pick up a friend when he spotted a woman hiding in the bushes. He pulled over, and when he approached her, she said, “I’m shot” and showed him her arm.
“She had a piece of her arm hanging out,” Richards said.
As police arrived, Richards said he heard 10 gunshots coming from inside the building. The woman told him that she saw the gunman shoot one person point-blank in the chest and one in the head.
The private school serves the Korean community with courses from theology to Asian medicine.
“Pastor Jong Kim, who founded the school about 10 years ago, said he did not know if the shooter was expelled or dropped out. Mr Kim said he heard about 30 rapid-fire gunshots in the building and stayed in his office.
Goh was held at a supermarket about an hour after the shooting.
A security guard approached him because he was acting suspiciously. He told the guard that he needed to talk to police because he shot people
Goh also called his father soon after the shooting and told him what happened, the police chief said.
