John Zawahri is captured on a surveillance camera entering the library (Photo via NBC Los Angeles)
More details have emerged about John Zawahri, the Santa Monica College shooter whose shooting rampage Friday left five people dead.
Reports have painted a dark past for the 23-year-old, including a history of mental issues and a bitter family dispute. Now a former teacher of Zawahri's has come forward to further confirm the shooter's fascination with guns. The teacher, who has requested anonymity, told the L.A. Times of the time Zawahri was caught surfing the web for assault weapons back in 2006 at Olympic High, Santa Monica's alternative school for students who struggled with traditional education programs.
Zawahri was reportedly sent to the principal's office, and as news of his Internet search habits spread around school, a classmate told the teacher Zawahri once invited him to his home, showed him his samurai sword, then named students at Olympic he wanted to hurt. Days later he was admitted to UCLA's psychiatric ward after officials searched his home. The Times notes that Zawahri did not remain in the hospital long. Both police and school officials have declined to comment on his release.
John Zawahri (KTLA)
The focus of the shooting investigation has turned to the gunman's motive and how he obtained his weapons. Zawahri was gunned down by police outside the school's library during the shooting rampage. He first killed his father, Samir, 55, and older brother, Christopher, 25, at their Yorkshire Avenue home, then carjacked a motorist and forced her at gunpoint to drive him to SMC. During the ride he fired at other vehicles. It remains unclear why he targeted the campus.Zawahri, his father and his brother had all been part-time students at SMC, but there is no indication that Zawahri had animosity toward the school. No disciplinary actions had been taken against him while he was enrolled in the school's Entertainment Technology program in 2009 and 2010, where he took courses in animation in video game development.
Described as a quiet loner who favored black clothing, Zawahri's history of mental problems has investigators probing how he obtained his weapons and 40 large-capacity magazines. The Times notes details on two firearms used by the shooter:
Authorities are tracing two firearms used by Zawahri. One weapon was a .44-caliber handgun that a federal law enforcement official described as a "curio- or relic-type" weapon that might have been in the shooter's family for years. The second was an AR-15 type semiautomatic rifle. Investigators are looking into whether Zawahri's possession of the gun was prohibited under California's long-standing assault weapons ban. The rifle was being examined Monday at the Sheriff's Department crime lab, a local law enforcement source said.
Reports continue to highlight Zawahri's parent's divorce in 1993 and his father's alleged history of abuse as possible reasons behind his poor mental health.
Related:
Heroic Santa Monica College Shooting Victim Distracted Gunman, Saved Woman
Santa Monica College Reopens With Increased Security, Fifth Shooting Rampage Victim IDed [UPDATED]
What We Know So Far About Santa Monica Rampage Suspect John Zawahri
The Stories Of The Victims Of Deadly Santa Monica Rampage
Santa Monica Rampage That Claimed 4 Lives May Have Started As A Bitter Family Dispute
Santa Monica Shootings: 5 Dead Including Suspected Shooter
