Santa Monica CA Police refuse to release the name of the spree killer - Others have identified him as John Zawahri and was subsequently fatally wounded by police

SANTA MONICA -- Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks on Saturday called the suspected gunman a "cowardly murder" and confirmed that police were called to the gunman's family's property in 2006 for an incident involving the shooter but she could not discuss it further because he was a juvenile at the time. She did not name the gunman.

She said the gunman's name was not released because of difficulty reaching the next of kin, but media reports identified him as John Zawahri, a son of the owner of the house that caught fire Friday.

"We understand that his family may be out of the country and we're making efforts to ensure that notification goes forward," Seabrooks said.

A neighbor, Tim O'Rourke, who knew the Zawahri family said Saturday that he believed the divorce of the gunman's father and mother divided the family.

"They had joint custody, but it seems the parents split custody at some point," O'Rourke said.

After the parents divorced, Chris Zawahri moved out of the Yorkshire Avenue address and into a Los Angeles apartment with his mother.

John lived with his father in the Santa Monica home, which was devastated by a fire set minutes after the shots rang out on the tree-lined street.

Multiple media outlets quoted unnamed law enforcement officials, saying John may have suffered from mental health problems and that the divorce left him angry.

SWAT team officers searched the mother's Los Angeles apartment Friday night and officers interviewed neighbors about the son who lived with her, said Beverly Meadows who lives in the adjoining unit. Public records indicate Abdou, 54, lives at that address. She is believed to be out of the country visiting relatives.

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