Police says Santa Monica shootings 'pre-meditated' as gunman 'ready for battle'

The police investigating the case of the gunman who was on a shooting spree in Santa Monica, California have said that the man's attack was pre-planned.

According to the police, the suspect was dressed in a protective vest and carrying enough ammunition proving that he was 'ready for battle', ABC News reports.

Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said that he presumed that the attack was pre-meditated as the gunman had worn a vest, carried a bag of loaded magazines, a handgun, a semi-automatic rifle, approximately 1,300 rounds of ammunition, killed people at a campus after opening fire on a city bus, a police car and other vehicles and had to be shot dead by the police.

According to the report, although the police officials have identified the suspect unofficially but declined to reveal his name as they were working on notifying his next of kin.

The police have also mentioned that the gunman along with another family member had a connection to the Santa Monica College, where the officers shot him dead.

Santa Monica Police Department spokesman Sergeant Richard Lewis confirmed that the 'heavily armed' gunman had pre-planned the attack as at least 70 rounds were fired in the Santa Monica Library alone.

The 911 calls also registered the gunman as armed with several weapons.

While authorities first said that the shooting killed six people, they later came down to five deaths, including four victims and the shooter and at least five injured, the report added.