The 49-year-old car mechanic who fatally shot a woman and injured seven others celebrating a birthday at a San Diego apartment complex was “distraught” and “depressed” over a break-up with his girlfriend, police said Monday.
Peter Selis sat down in a lounge chair at the La Jolla Crossroads complex and called his ex-girlfriend in the middle of his poolside attack, telling her he’d already shot two people and police had arrived at the scene, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said.
He kept her on the phone as he continued to “indiscriminately” fire on the crowd, hitting people who were “just mere feet from him.”
“He wanted his girlfriend to listen in an as he carried out his rampage,” Zimmerman explained.
Selis’ family members told police he’d been despondent over the recent break-up with his girlfriend, but they “had no idea he would resort to this kind of violence.”
His victims included seven people of color – four black women, two black men and a Latino man – but cops said Mondaythey do not believe race played a role in the attack.
“We have zero information that this was racially motivated,” said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. “These victims were just in his presence at the wrong place, at the wrong time.”
Selis also opened fire on three police officers who arrived at the scene minutes after he started shooting. They returned fire, killing him.
“Three of the officers shot toward the suspect, striking him,” Zimmerman said.
All of the injured are expected to survive.
“He made a terrible choice to commit unspeakable violence,” Zimmerman said.