It appeared that all involved had done what they were supposed to do. Elliot Rodger, a lonely 22-year-old who had dropped out of Santa Barbara City College, was in touch with a therapist. His parents, concerned about some recent behavior, went so far as to have the police check on him. And like most states, California has laws designed to make it easier to require treatment for mentally ill adults. Yet on May 23, Rodger killed six people and wounded 13 more. If this rampage couldn't be stopped, can any? The best chance to prevent the horrific attack came three weeks earlier, when local sheriff's deputies visited Rodger at his home in Isla Vista. Disturbed by videos he had posted on YouTube, his mother reportedly called a therapist, who called a mental-health hotline, which contacted the authorities. The deputies determined that Rodger was shy but polite and did not appear to pose a risk to himself or others. Absent that, they had no legal right to take him into custody.
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