The death toll from Friday’s shooting rampage at Santa Monica College rose to five on Sunday, when the college announced that 26-year-old student Marcela Franco had died in the hospital from injuries sustained during the shooting.
“I am saddened to report that Marcela Franco passed away this morning at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center,” Santa Monica College President Chui L. Tsang said Sunday in a statement posted on the school’s website. “Her family was with her by her side. Marcela had registered to attend classes this summer at SMC and was with her father Carlos when Friday’s tragedy struck.”
Franco was riding in a vehicle driven by her father, Carlos Franco, when the shooter opened fire on them by the school, causing the vehicle to crash. Carlos Franco, a 68-year-old employee of SMC, died at the scene.
“Carlos was truly a family man,” Tsang wrote in a letter to the campus community, according to the Los Angeles Times. “He was a dedicated husband and father and an integral part of the Santa Monica College family. His dedicated work to the campus grounds was enjoyed by students and visitors for two decades. He will be sorely missed.”
The Francos were reportedly driving to campus to buy books for Marcela Franco’s summer classes when their Ford Explorer was fired upon, the Los Angeles Times reported. Marcela Franco passed away from injuries sustained in the crash, the Times reported.
The shooter has been identified as 23-year-old John Zawahri. Zawahri was later killed by police during a shootout in the university’s library.