Aaron R. Ybarra, the 26-year-old gunman who is accused of killing one and injuring three others in a shooting at the Seattle Pacific University, quit medication for mental illness because he "wanted to feel the hate". Ybarra also gave details about his plan of attack in a journal.
"I just want people to die, and I'm gonna die with them," Ybarra wrote the day of the shooting, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said, Huffington Post reports.
Police officials recovered the journal from Ybarra's truck that was parked near the shooting area. It represents Ybarra's obsession with the 1999 Columbine High School shootings and Virginia Tech.
Satterberg said that the journal, however, does not explain the reason behind Ybarra's target (Seattle College). The prosecutor said that weeks before the shooting, Ybarra surveyed Seattle Pacific and was pleased with the academic counsellor as well as the students' behaviour, who took him on a tour of the campus.
The prosecutor said that the suspect considered other universities (Washington State, Eastern Washington and Central Washington) as well, but apparently dismissed them because they were remotely located.
The new details of the suspect were released Tuesday after Satterberg slapped charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault against Ybarra. Satterberg is seeking a life sentence.
Due to his history of mental health problems, police officials are keeping a close watch on the suspect to avert any suicide attempts at the King County Jail. He is being held without bail.
"We have to look at his symptoms he manifested in the past, his treatment and his jail records to determine whether his mental illness arises to the level of a defense.," said Ybarra's lawyer, Ramona Brandes told The Seattle Times. "He wasn't on his meds and he committed an action that is incomprehensible. Had he been on his meds, would this have happened? We'll continue asking that for all time."
According to the charging documents, Paul Lee, who was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center, was shot in the back of the head with a double-barreled shotgun outside Otto Miller Hall. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray described Lee as a "Korean-American student with a bright future."
