UCSB Victims’ Families Sue Sheriff

The families of three of the victims in last year’s UC Santa Barbara rampage are suing the sheriff’s office, the county, and the apartment building where killer Elliot Rodger lived for failing to spot his warning signs. On Monday, the parents of George Chen, Weihan Wang, and Cheng-Yuan Hong, who were all stabbed by Rodger, filed the federal lawsuit seeking unspecified damages. Two of those three victims were assigned to live with Rodger by administrators at Capri Apartments at Isla Vista. The suit alleges that Capri did not properly investigate “red flags” about Rodger’s past, including racist comments about old roommates and previous violent behavior. The suit also alleges police failed to protect the victims’ rights of due process when they went by Rodger’s apartment weeks before the shooting to confront him about violent videos he posted, but never asked to actually enter his apartment. Rodgers killed three others in addition to these victims, injured 14, and then committed suicide.