The 20-year-old murderer who opened fire at Umpqua Community College on Thursday had lived in Southern California previously, according to news reports.
L.A. Weekly confirmed that FBI agents from the region are assisting colleagues in Oregon in investigating the killer and his background. His social media page suggests that he lived in Torrance, CA with his mother from 2011 to 2013 and graduated from the Switzer Learning Center there.
The Daily Breeze reports that the Switzer Learning Center “teaches students with learning disabilities and emotional issues.” Quoting a former teacher there, the Breeze added that “the majority of the students at the school are from foster, low-income and single-parent homes. Some of these students were expelled from other schools or had been in trouble with the law.”
Other reports suggest a fascination with the Irish Republican army and previous mass shootings.
The killer apparently described himself as a “conservative” and “Republican,” though it is not clear what that meant to him, as other reports suggested that he singled out Christian victims for execution during his rampage.
One former neighbor told the Los Angeles Times: ““I wouldn’t have suspected him to be a troubled person…I’m surprised and shocked.” Others said he liked “target shooting,” was lonely and was troubled by cockroaches.
Some said they remembered the killer and his mother carrying black cases that may have contained firearms.
The Times reports that the killer may have lived in L.A. most of his life, and that his father still lives in the area. CBS News reports that he may have been born in the United Kingdom and immigrated to the U.S. as a child.