By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
A gunman in San Diego, California, calmly opened fire on a pool party on Sunday. One woman was killed and six other partygoers were wounded, several of them seriously. The shooter, later identified as Peter Selis, was subsequently killed by police after aiming his gun at them, the Los Angeles Times reported.
One man who attended the pool party told FOX 5 in San Diego that Selis was sitting in a chair at the pool. A friend of the witness approached Selis and asked him to join the party, but he declined.
The witness said that ten minutes later, Selis started shooting at the group. He reloaded his gun and continued to shoot as people ran out of the pool area.
When police arrived at the La Jolla Crossroads apartment complex, Selis pointed his gun at the three officers who returned fire and killed him.
Apartment residents heard gunfire, sirens and the screams of those near the main pool, resident Susan Berry told CNN. She was at the property but did not witness the shooting. “People are shocked because it’s an affluent neighborhood,” Berry said.
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said the police helicopter was the first responder to arrive on the scene. The helicopter pilot saw that the shooter appeared to be reloading a large-caliber handgun at the pool.
Zimmerman said there were eight victims, including four African-American females, who were suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to area hospitals, where one woman died later. Two wounded African-American males and one Hispanic male were also taken to an area hospital. An African-American male fleeing the area broke his arm when he was fleeing the gunfire.
When asked whether police were investigating the shooting as a hate crime because Selis was white, Zimmerman said, “We are interviewing witnesses and at this time we don’t know the motive is for this shooting.”
For families and friends trying to connect with each other, police set up a nearby reunification center, which was posted on Twitter.
“This was a truly horrific and disturbing act. We pray for the victims and thank our first responders. Our city rejects this senseless violence,” San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a news conference reported by CNN.
About the Author
David E. Hubler brings a variety of government, journalism and teaching experience to his position as a Quality Assurance Editor at APUS. David’s professional background includes serving as a senior editor at CIA and the Voice of America. He has also been a managing editor for several business-to-business and business-to-government publishing companies. David has taught high school English in Connecticut and at Northern Virginia Community College. He has a master’s degree for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire and a B.A. in English from New York University. David’s 2015 book, “The Nats and the Grays, How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever,” was recently published in paperback by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
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