7 dead in California drive-by shootings

Drive-by shootings in Southern California on Friday night left seven people dead, CNN affiliate KEYT-TV reported Saturday, citing Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

Brown said the suspected gunman was among seven people killed in the shootings, which occurred in Isla Vista -- near the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"This was a premeditated mass murder," Brown said, and he labeled the suspect as "severely mentally disturbed."

Authorities searching for a motive were looking into a video posted on social media that contains a man's tirade against women who supposedly rebuffed him, Brown said.

Seven others suffered "gunshot wounds or traumatic injuries," Brown said. One of those victims is said to have "life-threatening injuries. The sheriff reported nine different crime scenes.

The KEYT report said "witnesses described seeing a black BMW speeding through the streets, spraying bullets at people and various targets." The suspected gunman traded fire with sheriff's deputies, and the vehicle plowed into a parked car, the report said.

The suspected gunman was found in the BMW with a shot to the head, the affiliate said. It wasn't clear whether the death was self-inflicted or whether deputies killed the suspected gunman. A handgun was recovered.

The violence occurred over a 10-minute period, from the first emergency call at 9:27 p.m. to the suspect's discovery, the KEYT report said.