A gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed four people and wounded five as he went on a rampage in the seaside California town of Santa Monica, West Los Angeles on Friday before police shot him dead in the Santa Monica College library.
The shooting took place just a few miles from where the U.S. President Barack Obama was speaking at a political fundraiser, according to the local media.
Speaking to the media, students at the college described a scene of "pandemonium" as sounds of gunshot rang out through the campus.
Cyrus Jabari, 19, who was terrified, said that he saw the armed gunman walking just outside the library.
"The only thing between me and him was a glass door," Jabari told Reuters.
Confirming that at least five people were dead including the gunman, the Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks told the media that they (police) were "not convinced 100 percent that the suspect who was killed operated in a solo or lone capacity."
Police arrested a man from near the campus whom they described as "a person of interest," in the case. He was later released.
The U.S. President left for summit talks with his Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping without being disturbed by the gun shooting rampage, however, a White House press secretary told media that the president's departure from Los Angeles was re-routed to avoid impacting the scene.
According to Reuters, a Secret Service spokesman in Washington said: "We are aware of the incident and it is not impacting the visit. It's a local police matter at this point."
It seems the shooting rampage started at a home where two bodies were found, suspected to be that of the brother and father of the gunman. The house was set on fire by him. He later ran toward the Santa Monica campus, killing an injury many people on the way
Following the Connecticut elementary school shooting massacre last year where twenty children and six educators were killed, the United States had been debating and trying to push for universal background checks on gun buyers and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
.
