OAKLAND, Calif. — The suspect in a shooting rampage at an East Oakland private university told investigators he was angry at a female school administrator and students, saying they teased him and “were not treating him respectfully,” Police Chief Howard Jordan said Tuesday.
The suspect, One L. Goh, admitted his involvement in the Monday shooting and told investigators that one female administrator in particular at Oikos University was the object of his fury, police said.
Jordan would not identify the administrator but did say she is not among the injured.
“We don’t believe that any of the victims were the ones that teased him,” Jordan said.
The 43-year-old suspect told police he wanted to get back at the school and to inflict pain, Jordan said. There are conflicting reports about whether he was expelled, but the suspect left the school in November. He told investigators he wasn’t satisfied with the class he was taking. He also was upset with some classmates because he felt he was being teased — particularly about his English skills — and treated differently by them. People stopped talking to him and wouldn’t even acknowledge him at times, he told investigators.
Seven people died and three more were wounded in the shootings.
Police said the victims are six women and one man ranging in age from their 20s to 40s. The man was identified as Tshering Rinzing Bhutia, 38, of San Francisco, killed inside the school by the gunman, who then stole his keys and took his car.
Four of the women killed were Lydia Sim, 21, of Hayward, Calif.; Katleen Ping, 24, of Oakland, Calif.; Sonam Chodon, 33, of El Cerrito, Calif.; and Grace Eunhae Kim, 23, of Fremont, Calif., authorities confirmed. All of the victims were students except a staffer who was a secretary, police said. Three others who were wounded in the attack were treated and released.
Police believe the suspect reloaded a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol at least once during the rampage and only stopped shooting and fled because he heard people calling 911.
“We don’t believe the suspect intended to have a confrontation with the police, so he left after he finished shooting,” Jordan said.
Police say the suspect legally purchased a gun six weeks ago, but they haven’t yet recovered the weapon.
About 35 people were in or near the school at the time of the shooting, Jordan said. When police arrived, school officials quickly gave them the gunman’s name, photo and home address. Officers were on their way to his home when Goh turned himself in.
Goh’s last known address is at his father’s apartment in Oakland. His father was questioned and released by police and the apartment searched.
Jordan said Goh had no known previous criminal record. Officers believe he acted alone.
The suspect’s brother, U.S. Army Sgt. Su Wan Ko, died in a traffic accident in Virginia in March 2011. He was a human-resources specialist, attached to the 10th Special Forces Group based at Fort Carson, The New York Times reported. Their mother, Oak Chul Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, died last year as well, according to published reports.
The suspect’s other brother, Su Kwon Ko, who lives in Virginia, did not answer his phone for comment Monday.
Court records show several court judgments and tax liens against Goh dating to 2006, when he lived in Virginia. He owed more than $23,000 in federal taxes at one point and thousands of dollars more to banks and apartment owners.
