A white gunman opened fire on black party-goers, killing a woman and injuring seven more people at a swimming pool of a luxury San Diego apartment complex on Sunday night, in a suspected hate crime.
The gunman was later shot dead by police.
Police said there was no further threat after the suspect, later identified as Peter Selis, 49, was shot dead and eight victims were taken to local hospitals, with several in critical condition.
Selis is a service technician at a Ford dealership, and filed for bankruptcy in 2015. He is a father of two and also has a step-son.
The assailant, a white male, was seen by a police helicopter reloading the weapon near the pool area, as witnesses claim he was holding a beer in one hand and the gun in the other.
All of the victims were attending a 50th birthday party hosted by a resident of the apartment at the complex pool.
“This is truly a horrific act of violence that took place here today,” San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a news conference. “Our entire city, all of our thoughts and prayers, all San Diegans’ thoughts and prayers, are with the victims and their families tonight.”
A police helicopter arrived to the scene first and the pilot reported seeing multiple victims and that the suspect was still in the pool area and appeared to be reloading.
Three officers on the ground shot the suspect after he pointed a semi-automatic pistol at them, reports said.
Police believe that Selis lived in the complex, but have not discovered a motive. They have not ruled out the shooting as a hate crime as the investigation continues.
A witness told NBC San Diego that Selis took a seat by the pool during the party, and that the man who was celebrating his birthday walked up to offer him food and drink.
Selis declined, and the witness says he then lifted up his shirt and took out his gun and began shooting at the 30 or so partygoers until he was out of bullets.
The man who was celebrating his birthday was reportedly hit the worst, according to multiple witnesses.
Another witness who spoke to NBC reported seeing a smirk on Selis face as people fled the pool screaming.
One witness told Fox 5: “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 suspect looked pretty relaxed, pretty relaxed.”
Drew Phillips, who was at the party, said as he was fleeing he saw a man who he met minutes earlier with a gunshot wound to his abdomen
“He was just laying there, and just the look in his eyes — sheer terror,” Phillips told the San Diego Union Tribune. “I threw my phone down. I just picked him up and I just carried him. I basically ran as fast as I could with him in my arms.”
Amit Godbole and his wife were heading toward the pool when the shots began.
He said: “It was like a war zone or something. There would be three or four shots, a pause and then more shots. I was trying to count them. I counted 30 or 40.”
Amberjot Riat, 22, and Kaela Wong, 20, said they were in the Jacuzzi when the man began unloading a firearm at the party group and were so terrified they stayed put.
They jumped over a wall after they claim they heard the shooter tell someone helping a victim: “You can either leave or you can stay here and die.”
Rikky Galiendes, 27, heard gunshots around 6pm and went to look outside his sixth-story apartment when he spotted a man bleeding and running near the pool below.
Galiendes told The Associated Press that he called out to ask if the man needed help when his roommate grabbed him, yanked him down and then pointed toward a man sitting in a chair with a gun.
“When we looked over the balcony, he was just sitting down with a gun on his lap,”‘Galiendes said. “He was calm, you know. I mean from my perspective, the guy was ready to do whatever he was going to do. He shot at people having a good time and having a party.”
Galiendes and his roommate ran back inside and called police. They stayed indoors until neighbors yelled that it was safe to come out. Galiendes said it was a horrifying scene.
“As soon as I heard the gunshots I had goosebumps and the whole thing was really emotionally draining – seeing blood everywhere, seeing bodies on the ground, hoping they survived, seeing bloody footsteps you know of people who ran away. There was just so much blood. It was so surreal.”
The dead shooter 