SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The days leading up to Sunday's "senseless act of violence" at what should have been a peaceful gathering at a La Jolla apartment complex pool had proved challenging on a personal level for mass shooter Peter Selis.
His four year relationship with his girlfriend had ended, leaving him distraught and depressed, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman announced during at a press conference Monday.
What culminated in a sinister phone call placed to his ex as Selis lounged on a pool chair mid-rampage, allowing her to hear his victims' screams for help, may have begun much earlier as the 49-year-old auto mechanic dealt with crushing debt.
Selis lived at the La Jolla Crossroads complex where he fatally shot a woman and wounded five others and was employed for the past five years by Mossy Ford, according to court documents obtained by 10News.
10News also learned Selis filed for bankruptcy in 2015 with mounting debt of more than $108,000.
According to records, Selis has two daughters -- aged 14 and 18-- and one stepchild. Those daughters said that they ate breakfast with their dad the morning of the shooting and, while they knew he was depressed, had no idea he was about to commit a mass shooting.
Instead, a close neighbor who spoke on behalf of Selis' oldest daughter told 10News that the shooter had previously struggled with alcoholism and suicidal tendencies.
We're still learning more about Selis and his motivations, but these crucial clues may shed light on the mindset of a mass shooter.
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