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Subscribe to RSSA series of shootings in Orange County ended with the gunman taking his own life. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
A 20-year-old college student went on a shooting rampage across Orange County, Calif., on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring several others before killing himself, authorities said.
Police said the man, identified as Ali Syed, 20, of Ladera Ranch, Calif., told one of his victims, whose car he stole: "I killed somebody. This is my last day."
In all, there were three homicide victims and at least five victims of attempted homicide, police said.
Syed, a student at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo with no criminal record, shot and killed a young woman in his home in Ladera Ranch, which he shared with his parents, said Scott Jordan, police chief of the town of Tustin, where several of the incidents occurred Tuesday.
The relationship between Syed and the young woman remained unclear, as was the reason she was in the home, police said.
Syed's parents were home at the time, about 4:45 a.m. (7:45 a.m. ET), and fled, Jordan said. Syed then took their black sport-utility vehicle and set out on a drive along Orange County's highways, stopping at times to change cars and shoot people — apparently at random, according to police.
As state troopers homed in on him, he then killed himself.
Police and sheriff's officials gave this account of the dramatic chase:
Syed's first stop was the parking lot of a restaurant in Tustin, another Los Angeles suburb about 20 miles away, where he was spotted loading his shotgun by a man who was waiting in his car for his son.
The man quickly drove off with Syed chasing him on foot and firing his shotgun. The man was shot in the back of head but survived and managed to drive a short way before coming to a stop. Syed shot and wounded a second person who had rushed up to see what was happening.
Syed's car was damaged and had a flat tire, so he ran across the street to a gasoline station, where he approached a man filling up his tank. He took the man's truck after politely telling him: "I don't want to hurt you. I killed somebody. This is my last day. Give me your keys."
Investigators update the deadly carjackings in Southern California.
Now in his second stolen vehicle, Syed took off down state Route 55. He exited in Santa Ana, where he began randomly firing at vehicles on the freeway.
Three vehicles were damaged in Santa Ana, the driver of one of which suffered minor injuries to his face and hand. That man drove home and called police, who began tracking Syed in earnest. The drivers of all three damaged vehicles were being considered victims of attempted homicide.
Back in the stolen truck, Syed again tore off down Route 55. He took an off-ramp too fast, causing him to jump the curb, whereupon he leapt out of the truck, approached a man who was stopped at a stop sign, "walked him across the road and executed him, shooting him three times," Jordan said.
That victim was identified as Melvin Lee Edwards, 69, of Laguna Hills.
Syed then took the man's BMW — his third stolen vehicle — and drove off to the parking lot of a computer store, where he shot two people, apparently strangers, killing one of them. The dead man was identified as Jeremy Lewis, 26, of Fullerton.
Syed drove off in yet another stolen vehicle, returning to Route 55 as emergency calls poured in to authorities. As state troopers were preparing to get into position, he exited the freeway in the city of Orange. With the stolen vehicle still moving, he jumped out, put the shotgun to his head and killed himself.
Authorities said they found the shotgun beside Syed's body. And as of late Tuesday afternoon, they said, they had no explanation for why any of it happened.
Matthew DeLuca and Olivia Santini of NBC News contributed to this report. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook.
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:07 PM EST
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More guns, more guns! America the killing field! When will people finally realize that guns should cease to be except for hunting rifles or something like that? So crazy! So very sad for America!
Just how are you going to keep guns out of criminals hands?
Outlaw guns! Of course, I know that isn't going to happen, but if no guns - then no one would have them. We would have a fighting chance against criminals if no one had guns. The "wild west" is not going to work, you know! Even gun lovers wouldn't have their gun out in time. A criminal will just shoot you first. They aren't going to give you gun lovers warning.
AllPeopleRights
Is your real name PeeWee Herman?
Yes, that's right uscg1970. Is your name "Like a penis only smaller?"
Drugs are outlawed so why do we have a drug problem in this country.
"Licensed sellers are required to conduct background checks, but private sellers are not. However, private sellers are not allowed to sell guns to people they have reason to believe could not pass a background check." Closing this loophole would be a start. Its not a total solution, but its a start.
AllSheeplesRights: I think uscg1970 did you a disservice; I don't think calling you PeeWee herman was fair - I believe you spend your time WATCHING PeeWee Herman...and acting like him in the theater.
SoCal - It's like a whole other (3rd world) country.
im goin back to cali, cali. going back to cali..... nah i dont think so.
Best comment of the thread. Back to work
Seriously, not ALL gun owners have mental issues and to lay blame with gunowners again is wrong! Remember what you just said Lisa - cause if someone hurts you or your family and you can't defend them you may wish you had a gun and love the idea of 2nd amendment rights.
JB - I agree. If people choose to not own or carry guns, is it just their tough luck? Even if any of them had a gun, would they have had the presence of mind and steely reaction to pop the guy? Not unless they're in the military, trained police/sheriffs or self-taught shooters and even they can choke. Get real.
Who wants to bet not one of the weapons used was legally owned by the shooter? Go Cal go! more laws will help. NOT. Does anyone really believe these perps will turn in their guns because Diane Moron stein says so? ROFL. I have an idea. Sell California to China to pay for the US debt. 2 fold win their. We lose a parasitic socialist state along with all the public sector unions and China will be broke in a year trying to support you idiots.
+1
China can't buy Cali , Mexico already owns it.
Carjacker would have been shot dead if he had attempted to jack my car! So the people he jacked were defenseless and died as a result. I bet they tried calling 911!!!
just exactly how much time does a law abiding person have to react while the are being ambushed by a criminal ? these people it sounds like were killed before they even knew what was going on ! ? had they been armed, and not been able to respond, it just puts more weapons in the hands of the bad guy to continue his/her killing spree !
Bullsh*t, talace. Criminals will still have guns no matter what the gun laws are...look at Chicago which has one of the most stringent gun laws in the country! Even if the bastard beat me to the draw, I'd rather go knowing I had a chance to fight than just be a target. Now go kiss Obama's azz!!!
Talacc
I'm so glad someone else sees this. Thank You
Good one talacc, usually the shooter takes the guns from victims whenever possible. Another free gun for the bad guy!
It is an imperfect world we live in so my opinion is LESS GUNS, LESS VICTIMS!
This is a SACRIFICE for the common good, Its so worth it.
yeah and these carjacking turds would obey any gun laws? I'll keep mine thank you.
Where is that anti gun senator feinstein?
Sure she will want to ban all guns, and cars and driving on freeways after this one.
Maybe she should just ban everyone from living in California.
That will really make it safe.
But, no, wait if she bans everyone from living in California her and her secretive husband won't have gullible young people that they can lure to their so called trade schools. They sure make a lot of money off of them.
All the more reason to "Conceal and Carry" and in the car ... easy access
Agree, and practice the distraction technique to draw your pistol.
1. if a perp approaches your drivers door to assault you, make sure your doors are locked.
2. when he yells at you to open the door, look at him as you say my door lock is jammed and you push on the window with your left hand.
3. he should be focused on your left hand effort to open the door and he might also reach for the door to try and open it.
4. as this is going on in a few seconds, reach with your right hand for your pistol that should be on your seat next to your right side, under a towel.
5. you should have the advantage of him as his focus won't be on your right hand actions. You should be able to get off a shot at him.
This is the technique I practice and use when I am in my car.
If you have a non bucket seat vehicle it is even better for you. You can roll to the right after your first shot and be closer to exiting the passenger door for more cover if you need to fire more.
You internet Rambo's, with the wild, wild west "in your minds" are too funny! If you were ever confronted with a criminal with a gun, you would probably wet your pants! Give yourselves a rest! The damage being done is by whackos and criminals and you Rambo's in your minds won't be able stop anything!
AllPeopleRights
Wish there were a lot more people like you.
Did the carjacker have the firearm legally? Did he have a license to carry the gun? If not, then go after the criminal and not the legal gun owners. Passing more laws won't keep criminals from committing these crimes. Wake up people. When asked why we do not enforce the current laws on people who lie on the FBI NICS Background check on gun purchases Joe Biden said we do not have the time or manpower to go after these criminals so we are going to pass a bunch of new laws instead. Yeah. There's the logic. A criminal commits a crime with a gun. The politicians respond by going after law abiding gun owners. Let's be real here. The whole goal of the left is not to reduce violent crime but to make owning a firearm so restrictive most people will not own one because they will be afraid of accidentally committing a felony by owning one. Your safety is not a concern for the liberals. Anyone responding to this please do not say it is for the safety of the children as liberals support the murder of 1.2 million defenseless children by abortion last year alone and no liberal is crying foul. 20 children murdered by gunfire. Result: Outrage. 1.2 million murdered by abortion. Result: Joy and celebration for a women's right to choose to murder her child. You people are really sick!
agree, well worded and to the point.
You better believe California Senator Feinstein has and will have all the protection in the world for herself after she takes everyone elses guns away.
Still you have to worry about Holders screw up of letting guns go across the border to the drug gangs. A lot of those are still out there in the criminals hands.
What a stupid plan that fast and furious was.
And the Gov't wants to take my guns? I don't think so.....
California already has very restrictive gun laws, they have for many years...
And you see how well the criminal element is obeying those laws!
Lock your doors, keep a loaded handgun under the seat, that way your prepared if something like this happens to you. Don't go like a sheep to slaughter. At least go out with a fight to save your life.
Diane Feinstein won't be there to save you and most probably the police would get there after the fact.
So be personally prepared to defend your life.
Shotgun too big and cumbersome. 357 Snub should suffice but 9mm works better to stop most bastards.
Just a note to internet Rambo's: The criminal with a gun will shoot you before you know what happened to you.
Perhaps they will shoot little cowards like you who will be hiding in the corner in the fetal position desperately dialing 911 over and over...
Grow a set of balls puzzy!!!
Since I am a woman, I won't be growing a "set of balls" anytime soon. Thank God! Too many of you "men" (using that term loosely) are run by your teenage hormones. You sleazy a**holes are beyond help. Go play "wild wild west" in your minds. You wouldn't know what a real life entails. Complete idiots! Get an f-ing education and make a real life!
AllPeopleRights
LOL ! WELL SAID
Without the gun, this guy would've gone on and lived a normal productive life and never hurt anyone. Does anyone really believe that?
This wacko, just like the other wackos, killed himself when first confronted by someone else with a gun (in this case, the police). If the FIRST victim had a gun, or someone nearby, there wouldn't have been a chase and additional victims.
More guns in the hands of responsible citizens would go a loooong way to decreasing the number of people killed by these wack-jobs.
I expect the liberals to jump all over me. Go ahead - the more you jump, the more I am convinced this is the best plan.
And Jerry Brown stated "CA gun laws should be a model for the nation." Yup, I am certain this guy used their legal methods to obtain his gun.
A little Embellished, but SCAREY and TRUE.
The Shotgun
You're sound asleep when you hear a thump outside your bedroom door.
Half-awake, and nearly paralyzed with fear, you hear muffled whispers.
At least two people have broken into your house and are moving your way.
With your heart pumping, you reach down beside your bed and pick up your
shotgun.
You rack a shell into the chamber, then inch toward the door and open it...
In the darkness, you make out two shadows.
One holds something that looks like a crowbar.
When the intruder brandishes it as if to strike, you raise the shotgun and
fire.
The blast knocks both thugs to the floor.
One writhes and screams while the second man crawls to the front door and
lurches outside.
As you pick up the telephone to call police, you know you're in trouble.
In your country, most guns were outlawed years before, and the few that are
privately owned are so stringently regulated as to make them useless..
Yours was never registered..
Police arrive and inform you that the second burglar has died.
They arrest you for First Degree Murder and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
When you talk to your attorney, he tells you not to worry: authorities will
probably plea the case down to manslaughter.
"What kind of sentence will I get?" you ask.
"Only ten-to-twelve years," he replies, as if that's nothing.
"Behave yourself, and you'll be out in seven."
The next day, the shooting is the lead story in the local newspaper.
Somehow, you're portrayed as an eccentric vigilante while the two men you
shot are represented as choirboys.
Their friends and relatives can't find an unkind word to say about them..
Buried deep down in the article, authorities acknowledge that both "victims"
have been arrested numerous times.
But the next day's headline says it all:
"Lovable Rogue Son Didn't Deserve to Die."
The thieves have been transformed from career criminals into Robin Hood-type
pranksters..
As the days wear on, the story takes wings.
The national media picks it up, then the international media.
The surviving burglar has become a folk hero.
Your attorney says the thief is preparing to sue you, and he'll probably
win.
The media publishes reports that your home has been burglarized several
times in the past and that you've been critical of local police for their
lack of effort in apprehending the suspects.
After the last break-in, you told your neighbor that you would be prepared
next time.
The District Attorney uses this to allege that you were lying in wait for
the burglars.
A few months later, you go to trial.
The charges haven't been reduced, as your lawyer had so confidently
predicted.
When you take the stand, your anger at the injustice of it all works against
you..
Prosecutors paint a picture of you as a mean, vengeful man.
It doesn't take long for the jury to convict you of all charges.
The judge sentences you to life in prison.
This case really happened.
On August 22, 1999, Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk , England, killed one
burglar and wounded a second.
In April, 2000, he was convicted and is now serving a life term..
How did it become a crime to defend one's own life in the once great British
Empire ?
It started with the Pistols Act of 1903.
This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons
and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a
license.
The Firearms Act of 1920 expanded licensing to include not only handguns but
all firearms except shotguns..
Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by
private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns.
Momentum for total handgun confiscation began in earnest after the
Hungerford mass shooting in 1987.
Michael Ryan, a mentally disturbed man with a Kalashnikov rifle, walked down
the street shooting everyone he saw.
When the smoke cleared, 17 people were dead.
The British public, already de-sensitized by eighty years of "gun control",
demanded even tougher restrictions.
(The seizure of all privately owned handguns was the objective even though
Ryan used a rifle.)
Nine years later, at Dunblane, Scotland, Thomas Hamilton used a
semi-automatic weapon to murder 16 children and a teacher at a public
school.
For many years, the media had portrayed all gun owners as mentally unstable,
or worse, criminals.
Now the press had a real kook with which to beat up law-abiding gun owners.
Day after day, week after week, the media gave up all pretense of
objectivity and demanded a total ban on all handguns.
The Dunblane Inquiry, a few months later, sealed the fate of the few
sidearm's still owned by private citizens.
During the years in which the British government incrementally took away
most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed
self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism.
Authorities refused to grant gun licenses to people who were threatened,
claiming that self-defense was no longer considered a reason to own a gun.
Citizens who shot burglars or robbers or rapists were charged while the real
criminals were released.
Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police spokesman was quoted as saying,
"We cannot have people take the law into their own hands."
All of Tony Martin's neighbors had been robbed numerous times, and several
elderly people were severely injured in beatings by young thugs who had no
fear of the consequences.
Martin himself, a collector of antiques, had seen most of his collection
trashed or stolen by burglars.
When the Dunblane Inquiry ended, citizens who owned handguns were given
three months to turn them over to local authorities.
Being good British subjects, most people obeyed the law.
The few who didn't were visited by police and threatened with ten-year
prison sentences if they didn't comply.
Police later bragged that they'd taken nearly 200,000 handguns from private
citizens.
How did the authorities know who had handguns?
The guns had been registered and licensed.
Kind of like cars. Sound familiar?
WAKE UP AMERICA!
THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS PUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN OUR
CONSTITUTION.
"...It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless
minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.."
--Samuel Adams
(farmer)
Your story sounds good, but in real life would go no further than, "You rack a shell into the chamber." This is the most known and feared sound in the modern world. The burglars would have fled, crapping their pants in the process.
End of story!
As an US citizen I understand what you are saying but for Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk , England On August 22, 1999, apparently the sound of the shell entering the chamber was either ignored or not heard and he paid the price for trying to protecting what was his.
Never did hear of a car jacking in my part of Appalachia, of course the 44 spl under my seat and the 9mm in my conceal vest is probably the norm for most other drivers on the road. Seems the strict gun laws only restrict guns for the law abiding citizens and the people that choose to be victims. There are a couple of reasons I don't live in L.A., one it will probably fall into the ocean before long and two the crazies and the gang bangers.
"Life is hard, harder if you are stupid"! John Wayne Quote....If I could not pack in L.A. I would not stay there for a New York minute. ...and since you can't pack in New York they can have that rat invested mess also! Chicago, forget about it!
We need a ban on guns NOW!!!!!
Perhaps we start by banning idiots like you first!!!
Go ahead and watch the disaster if you tried and ban guns all together. You think the occasional mental case shooting up a mall or school is bad or the criminals and their shootings are bad just sit back and watch the country crumble if they tried to ban guns from law abiding citizens. You can tweak the laws a little without any major issues but you are a fool to even think disarming the country would fix anything or even be an option for the government.
This is why people laugh at the right wing nut as much as the loony lefty. It is not going to happen so to think it will or hope it will is as foolish as worrying about it happening.
If you think guns are the problem in this article, then you must support a ban on silverware to prevent people from becoming fat.
veteran - Yes, and a lot of cars have been hijacked and people killed by the criminals with forks gang too! Quit using stupid things as an analogy. There is no analogy to all the gun violence in this country.
People now think they should solve disagreements with killings, split-ups with killings, robbery with guns, etc., etc., etc. Guns are a quick and easy way to kill - period! So, nut-heads use guns. Only way around that is to ban guns. Eventually, no one will have them - even criminals. Then, we all will have a fighting chance against criminals. Now, we have no way to fight back.
The "wild wild west" is not an answer for America. More than likely, when and if you gun-lovers are in a bad situation, if you can get your gun out in time, you will probably kill the wrong person anyway!
You said in an earlier post you are a woman. What chance do you think you would have against a unarmed 300 lb rapist? When it comes to being attacked I think I would prefer to have the odds in my favor.
AllSheeplesRights: If you choose to become a victim, fine with me. But do not try to infringe upon MY rights to defend myself and my family, or others who refuse to become sheep. If more responsible people stood up to criminals and carried guns - like in Texas - many criminals would think twice, knowing they will be staring down the barrel of gun, too. You are indeed naive if you think "eventually" criminals won't have guns - they will ALWAYS have guns (prohibition prevented criminals from having booze, right? NOT!) The following is copied from my original post regarding this incident. Please read and try to understand it.
This wacko, just like the other wackos, killed himself when first confronted by someone else with a gun (in this case, the police). If the FIRST victim had a gun, or someone nearby, there wouldn't have been a chase and additional victims.
More guns in the hands of responsible citizens would go a loooong way to decreasing the number of people killed by these wack-jobs.
I expect the liberals to jump all over me. Go ahead - the more you jump, the more I am convinced this is the best plan.
there's no end to it now. The economy is going straight now. Desperation and dispair are going straight up. There's going to be shootings in the work place, people who are fired and have no hope of getting another job. People who are looking for a job and have no hope of getting a job. Millions of immigrants are pouring into the country, immediately getting free healthcare, getting quota jobs, paying no taxes and if the existing citizens say anything, we're racist. The situation is going to produce more shootings, more slaughter and there's no stopping it and there is no end to it. Same thing happened when Rome Fell, when Babylon Fell, and on and on. It's what happens when a nation is destroyed and our leaders are obivous to it and don't care.
Our horrible economy and the demands for gun control is fueling this gun violence
What are you talking about? Obama and his cronies say the economy is doing great!!!
Hey look! Tha bad guy had a gun! The good Guy(s) didn't, and the police weren't there to prevent it!!! So much for the lib idea that the police will be there to protect you. Evil will be evil. Your responsibility to protect yourself. I feel for the victims but yet again, Cali's gun laws do NOTHING but work in favor of the bad guys!!!
When someone with a gun takes you by surprise, you could have ten guns it doesn't matter. Unless you have your finger on your trigger at all times, having a gun won't help you. Do you think that if any of those victims had a gun they could have stopped this guy? No way, they were taken by surprise.
Patriot:
Perhaps this, and perhaps that. You can speculate and justify all you want. I'd rather have a gun close by knowing I had a chance than just being a defenseless bulls-eye. In my opinion, you are one of those wimpy defenceless cowards that want to believe in the utopia and that police will protect you. Wake up and smell the foul odor in our major metro areas...they are war zones and the unarmed are the targets!!!
Patrtiot 12
SO TRUE, these "men" just simply seem to think if they are able to carry that concealed weapon, they can just blow all of the bad guys away. THATS NOT THE WAY IT WORKS, EASIER SAID THAN DONE