Police didn't view videos, say US killer seemed OK

Published: 12:01PM Saturday May 31, 2014 Source: AP

Law enforcement officers who visited Elliot Rodger three weeks before he went on a deadly rampage in a California college town knew he had posted disturbing videos but didn't check them out because he seemed OK when they visited him at his apartment.

And even if they had watched them, experts say it's unlikely they would've been able to do anything.

'There are a lot of videos that might seem disturbing or offensive, depending on who views them,' says Tom Mahoney, who co-chairs the Justice Studies department at Santa Barbara City College.

Only in hindsight is it clear that Rodger, 22, was an extremely dangerous young man who would go on to kill six students and himself, and injure 13 more last Saturday.

Rodger posted at least 22 videos on YouTube, including his final 'retribution' video the night of the attack. YouTube took down that video - which detailed Rodger's plans and reasons for the killings - the next day, citing a terms-of-service violation.

Of the 21 videos still on the site, none are overtly suicidal or violent. Many feature Rodger driving in silence with 80s pop music - Whitney Houston, Steve Perry, George Michael and others - playing in the background, while in others he talked straight into the camera about his loneliness and despair.

It's unclear if there were any additional videos that were taken down by Rodger or YouTube.

Family spokesman Simon Astaire has said Rodger's mother became alarmed in late April after viewing bizarre YouTube videos posted by her son. She notified his therapist, who called health officials who in turn notified the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. Family attorney Alan Shifman has described the videos as 'regarding suicide and the killing of people.'

The sheriff's office said Rodger uploaded his final video detailing his 'Day of Retribution' at 9:17 pm on the day of the shootings, May 23. One minute later, he emailed a lengthy written manifesto to his mother, father and therapist that also detailed his plans and contempt for everyone he felt were responsible for his sexual frustrations and overall miserable existence.

It was another half hour before the therapist saw the emailed manifesto and 11 more minutes until the sheriff's office was contacted at 10:11 p.m. Authorities contacted Rodger's mother and learned about the manifesto and the 'Retribution' video.

Like many other states, California allows authorities to hold people in a mental hospital for up to 72 hours for observation to prevent them from hurting themselves or others.