After Spate of Shootings, Santa Monica Residents Call for Peace

A deadly shooting rampage and gang violence have driven residents to hold a rally and candlelight vigil

After back-to-back, deadly shootings in Santa Monica, community members have taken to the streets to call for peace.

More than 100 people walked through the streets of Santa Monica on Sunday. In the evening, they lit candles and prayed. Many cried as names of victims were read.

On June 7, John Zawahri, a 23-year-old who suffered from mental illness, went on a shooting rampage through Santa Monica with a semiautomatic assault rifle. He killed his father and brother, and three other people apparently at random, before police fatally shot him in the Santa Monica College library.

Just days later, on June 11, two men were shot less than a mile from the college. One died. That incident was believed to be gang-related and was not linked to the earlier rampage.

Two other shootings were also reported in the area.

A town hall meeting to address violence in the community was planned for Thursday.

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