Peter Selis was identified as the mass shooter who opened fire in a shooting spree at a San Diego apartment pool. He shot black and Hispanic victims and may be a hate crime.
A man casually held a beer in one hand while shooting multiple people – all non-whites – at a San Diego apartment complex pool.
Eight people were injured, seven of them shot.
The mass shooter, who was shot to death by police, was identified as Peter Selis, 49, a white man who lived in the apartment complex.
According to police, the victims included four African-American females, two African-American males, one Hispanic male, and an African-American-male who broke his arm fleeing. Police have not yet labeled the mass shooting a hate crime, however, as they say the motive is under investigation.
Several of the victims were reportedly in critical condition after the April 30 shooting at the University City apartment complex, according to Fox 5 San Diego. It was later reported that one victim, a female, has died.
Here’s what you need to know:
The suspect was “reloading his gun in the pool area, ” a 911 dispatcher says in the initial audio from the scene. “People down.” The suspect was initially described in the dispatch audio as a white male, age 40.
A witness told FOX 5 “he saw three people had been shot on a sidewalk at the apartment complex. He ran into the clubhouse and looked out the windows. He saw two other bloody people and one of them was crawling to the other trying to help.”
“We looked at the pool area where the shooter was sitting there with a beer in one hand and a gun in the other, ” the witness said, according to FOX 5. “The suspect looked pretty relaxed, pretty relaxed.”
The police chief, Shelley Zimmerman, said in a press conference, that, shortly after 6 p.m. on April 30, “our communications division received numerous calls that several people had been shot in the pool area. The helicopter arrived on scene and saw that there were numerous victims in the pool area.”
The dispatch audio said that a 911 caller heard multiple gunshots and then people started screaming. Initial reports said two were shot, but the injury count increased.
It was later revealed that the gunman had shot all non-white victims, although the motive is under investigation.
According to the police chief, eight people were transported to the hospital. They were: four African- American females, all shot; two African-American males; 1 Hispanic male; and 1 African-American male who broke his arm “fleeing the gunfire.”
“It is with extremely sad heart that we report that one of the females has passed away, ” the chief said.
Police, though, are stopping short of labeling the mass shooting a hate crime, and they say it’s not yet clear whether Selis knew any of the victims.
San Diego court records show a legal separation with minor children in the marriage of Peter Selis and his wife, Michelle Selis, that dates to 2008. There is a 2013 wedding registry at Macy’s for Peter Selis and a woman named Patricia Martinez. Her Facebook page does not carry any mention of him, however. Peter Selis’ own Facebook page appears to have been deleted.
Peter Selis also had a 1998 family court case from Idaho labeled “reciprocal support family law.”
Police shot the gunman to death when he started firing in their direction.
“Police fatally shot the gunman when he pointed his weapon at approaching officers, ” reported the San Diego Union Tribune.
“The suspect pointed the gun at our officers and three of our officers fired on the suspect and the suspect went down and the suspect is deceased, ” San Diego Police chief Shelley Zimmerman said in a news conference.
One man captured the steady sound of gunfire on a cell phone video as he stood at his apartment window. (Listen and watch above.)
A video that captured some of the shooting sounds was also posted to Snapchat:
Other videos showed the massive law enforcement response, as well as people sitting on the side of the road on curbs.
According to ABC7, “The gunman apparently opened fire at a birthday party in the pool area of a complex in the University City area of San Diego around 6 p.m. Officers spotted the gunman still armed at the scene and engaged with him.”
10News reported that the woman who died was attending a birthday party.
The police chief confirmed in the news conference that the shooting occurred at a “large birthday party.” She said the party was occurring in the pool area of the apartment complex.
Already race baiting, award winning work here, Jessica.
White response?
Nope, wouldn’ t matter if I was white anyways, what kind of racist question was that?
