Isla Vista killer once attended Pierce

Elliot Rodger took computer class in 2009

Matt Gottesman Roundup Reporter

The 22-year-old man who killed six people, wounded 13 and took his own life near U.C. Santa Barbara Friday in a premeditated rampage previously attended Pierce College, according to Pierce records.

In his manifesto initially obtained by ABC affiliate KEYTTV, “My Twisted World,” Elliot Rodger wrote that he attended class at Pierce. Dean of Student Services Marco de la Garza confirmed Rodger enrolled in Computer Science 501 in the fall of 2009.

“The place reminded me of Taft, though the people seemed nicer and the environment was less intimidating,” Rodger said in the manifesto.

Attempts by the Roundup to reach Professor Robert Grogan, who taught Computer Science 501 in 2009 were unsuccessful.

The London-born Rodger said in the manifesto he moved to Woodland Hills early in life where he went to Pinecrest and Farm School, now Woodland Hills Private School.

“The town of Woodland Hills has great significance in my life,” Rodger wrote. “My 5-year-old self at the time could not imagine how significant this place will eventually become for me.”

Rodger also attended Topanga Elementary Charter School and spent a semester at Moorpark College after leaving Pierce, he said in the document.

Amanda McNutt, a Pierce student and water polo coach of Veronika Weiss, one of Rodger’s victims, grieved for her teammate at the swimmer’s memorial at Westlake high school Monday.

“She did whatever she could for her team. Anything,” McNutt said. “She’d give you the shirt off her back. She never thought of herself. She always thought about everybody else.”

The Roundup respected families’ request to not enter the memorial, but McNutt said the pool deck lights were turned off after the crowds cleared and the swimmer’s friends swam with glowsticks and played catch in remembrance of their teammate.

Before the memorial, McNutt expressed how difficult losing her teammate was.

“It’s [going to] be pretty hard today.” McNutt said. “If it had been somebody else and not her, she would be the one there that would be picking it all up.”

Residents of Santa Barbara paid their respects to the victims at multiple memorials with flowers, candles, chalk drawing, and vigils.

Daniel, a 20-year-old UCSB student who withheld his last name, contributed to the memorial chalked on the street in front of the Santa Barbara delicatessen riddled from Rodger’s warpath.

“This could have been any one of us,” Daniel said. “And the fact

Nicolas Heredia / Roundup that he had 400 rounds of bullets in his car, it really shakes me up.”

Students embrace each other at the memorial site for Christopher Ross Martinez inside the I V Deli Mart in Isla Vista, Calif., on Monday May 26. Flowers were placed in the window where bullet holes remained at the since opened deli.

Pierce College has a behavioral intervention team where faculty and staff can document students who they are concerned about.

“I think the behavior intervention team is our best defense at this point in time. I think what’s important for the students to understand is that if they see something of concern or hear something of concern is that they tell the faculty member and then that person can turn around and file