Santa Monica gunman left apology note for killing father, brother, police say

John Zawahri left a note apologizing for killing his father and brother but left no explanation for the rampage that left them and three others dead  in Santa Monica, police said Thursday.

The three- to four-page note was found on Zawahri's body after he was shot and killed June 7 by officers on the campus of Santa Monica College, Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said at a news conference.

In the note, Zawahri also said goodbye to friends and expressed hope that his mother would be taken care of.

Seabrooks said investigators believe mental illness played a role in Zawahri's motivation for the killings, but she didn't elaborate.

Zawahri apparently built his own assault weapon, using it to shoot his father and brother before he set fire to their family home, officials said earlier Thursday.

More On This...

Two officials who were briefed on the investigation said the semi-automatic weapon appears to have been built with component parts that are legal to obtain, but put together make the rifle illegal in California. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.


The 23-year-old Zawahri's 15-minute midday rampage spanned a mile between his father's home, where his father and brother were shot to death, and Santa Monica College, where police killed him in the library. Along the way, he fired at vehicles and strangers, fatally wounding three people. One other person was seriously wounded and two others had minor injuries.

On Thursday, an official close to the investigation said the fire at Zawahri's father's home, which erupted soon after neighbors heard shots fired, was intentionally set.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not yet been publicly released, said the fires were started in a front living room and atop one of two twin beds in a room of the house.

Several boxes of matches were also found in the bedroom.


In Zawahri's bedroom, investigators found a drill press among other materials that indicate he likely assembled the weapon.

The drill press is used to help finish building the rifle by drilling holes in the lower receiver. A lower receiver that is only 80 percent complete can easily be purchased, and because it is not complete, a person isn't required to go through a background check, nor does the part need to have a serial number.

In California such weapons require a "bullet button" kit, which needs to be added to a lower parts kit to make it legal. The bullet button kit modifies the weapon so that a separate tool must be used to release an ammunition magazine and reload the gun; without such a modification a person can press a button to release the magazine.





