Tearful plea from victim’s dad in deadly rampage

http://www.myfoxla.com/story/25606630/tearful-plea-from-victims-dad-in-deadly-rampage

Updated: May 26, 2014 10:18 PM TST

Posted by: FOX 11 Web Staff

rampage (n) 暴亂

A man whose son was among the victims killed in a shooting rampage near a California university quaked with grief and rage Saturday as he described his "lost and broken" family and the proliferation of guns he believes led to his son's death.

quake (v) 顫抖

proliferation (n) 擴散

"Our son Christopher and six others are dead," Richard Martinez told reporters gathered outside a sheriff's station for a news conference the day after the shootings near the University of California, Santa Barbara, where the 20-year-old son was a sophomore. "You don't think it'll happen to your child until it does."

Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, of Los Osos, Calif., was the last of six people killed by suspect Elliot Rodger before the gunman apparently shot and killed himself, authorities said.

suspect (n) 疑犯

Martinez choked back tears as he spoke, then grew angrier as he talked about gun laws and lobbyists.

choke (v) 哽咳

lobbyist (n) 說客

"The talk about gun rights. What about Chris' right to live?" Martinez said. "When will enough people say: 'Stop this madness! We don't have to live like this! Too many people have died!"

He then punctuated his words as he said, "We should say to ourselves: 'Not! One! More!'" before dissolving into tears and falling to his knees as he stepped from the podium.

punctuate (v) 強調

to dissolve into tears: 突然開始哭

podium (n) 講台

Martinez said he talked to his son just 45 minutes before he died inside the IV Deli Mart, where bullet holes and blood could still be seen on Saturday. After already killing five others at his apartment and outside a sorority house, Rodger walked into the deli and shot Michaels-Martinez, authorities said.

sorority (n) 姊妹會

Michaels-Martinez was an English major who planned to go to London next year and to law school after graduation, his father said.

He pulled out a photo of his son as a small child in Chicago Cubs baseball uniform and said they used to call him "mini-Sammy Sosa," referring to the former Cubs star.

Chicago Cubs: 芝加哥小熊隊

"Chris was a really great kid," Martinez said. "Ask anyone who knew him. His death has left our family lost and broken."

Friends said Michaels-Martinez, who served as residential adviser at a dorm last year, was the kind of guy who welcomed strangers into his home.

It's not clear whether Rodger knew Katherine Cooper and Veronika Weiss, but they were standing outside a sorority house he was targeting and square in the path of his rampage, authorities said. They became the first ones fatally shot.

Rodger had stabbed and killed three male victims at his apartment already, then drove to the Alpha Phi sorority house, where he fired from across the street and shot three women who were nearby. One of them, whose name has not been released, was injured. Cooper, 22, and Weiss, 19, both UC Santa Barbara students, were killed.

stab (v) 刺殺

Cooper, who was from Chino Hills, Calif., was about to graduate with a degree in art history. Her friend Courtney Benjamin said Cooper was a painter with an outgoing side.

"She was a self-proclaimed princess and I love her for that," Benjamin said. "And I know she has a crown on her head today."

Weiss was first-year student from Westlake Village.

"She was always a happy person," said Eric Pursley, who worked with Weiss at a Target store in Thousand Oaks last year.

A pile of flowers grew on the lawn Saturday as crying students wandered up to the spot, shook their heads and hugged each other.

wander (v) 漫步

UCSB senior Kyley Scarlet, who lives next door and has served as president of her own sorority, said all three who were shot are sorority members, but neither of Alpha Phi nor her own.

Alpha Phi: 某姐妹會名

Scarlet said she was very disturbed by the video describing his anger at sorority girls.

"It's hard thinking my actions, being part of a sorority, led him to do this," she said. "When I saw that video I was shaking and crying."

中譯

某位男士, 他的兒子是加州的大學附近槍擊案當中的死者之一, 因悲憤而抖動, 當他週六談到他的失喪與破碎的家庭, 以及槍枝擴散的問題, 他相信這是造成他兒子的死因.

“我們的兒子CHRISTOPHER和其他6個人都死了,”Richard Martinez告訴因記者會聚集在警長辦公站外面的記者們, 這是加州大學聖塔芭芭拉分校槍擊案發生後隔天. 他的兒子是大二生. “你想不到這樣的事會發生在你孩子身上, 直到它真的發生了.”

當局表示, 出身加州Los Osos的Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, 是6個喪命者中最後一位, 他們是被嫌犯Elliot Rodger槍殺, 隨後槍手明顯是舉槍自盡.

Martinez邊說邊哽咽忍著淚, 然後開始憤怒, 當他談及槍枝法律以及國會說客.

Martinez說:“他們支持擁槍權. 那麼CHRIS的生命權呢?””何時會有夠多的人站出來說’停止這些瘋狂行為! 我們不用這樣過日子! 已經太多傷亡了!’”

他接著邊說邊強調, “我們要到訴自己: ‘不可以再有任何一個傷亡了!’”. 接著走下講台哭倒跪著.

Martinez說他45分鐘之前還在和他兒子說話, 之後他便死在四號熟食店, 週六當時該處還見得到子彈和血. 當局說, 兇手自家公寓裡與姐妹會外已經殺死5人, 而後進入熟食店殺了Michael-Martinez.

Michaels-Martinez主修英文, 計畫明年畢業後去倫敦上法學院, 他父親說.

他拿出張他的孩子幼年的照片, 穿芝加哥小熊隊球衣, 說大家曾叫他小Sammy Sosa, 前小熊隊球星.

Martinez說: “Christ真的是很棒的孩子,””可以去問問認識他的人. 他的離開讓我們家庭迷失且破碎了.”

朋友說, 去年擔任宿舍住宿顧問的Michaels-Martinez, 是那種會歡迎陌生人進家門的人.

當局並表示: 不清楚Rodger是否認識Katherine Cooper與Veronika Weiss, 但是他們一起站在姊妹會外頭, 該處是槍手的目標. 並在暴行發生的路徑當中呈方形. 他們便因此成為頭位犧牲對象.

Rodger在自己公寓已先刺殺致死3位男性死者, 之後駛到Alpha Phi姐妹會, 他從對街開槍, 射中鄰近3女. 其中一位名字不詳, 受傷. 22歲的Copper與19歲的Weiss死亡, 二人皆加大聖塔芭芭拉分校學生.

來自加州Chino Hill的Copper, 本即將拿到藝術史學位畢業. 她的朋友Courtney Benjamin說Cooper是位活潑的畫家.

Benjamin說: “她有公主病, 我覺得她這性格蠻吸引我的,” ”我知道今天她是頭戴皇冠的公主.”

Weiss是從Westlake Village來的新鮮人.

“她總是很樂天,” Eric Pursley說. 他去年和Weiss一起在Thousand Oaks的Target打工.

花在草地上堆疊起來, 哭泣的學生步上現場, 搖著頭且互相擁抱.

住隔鄰的UCSB大四學生Kyley Scarlet, 是她所屬的姐妹會的會長, 說被槍殺的這三位都是姐妹會的, 但不隸屬Alpha Phi, 也不屬她的姐妹會.

Scarlet說她因為影片談到兇手對姐妹會抱持的怨恨感到非常痛苦.

“很難想像身為姐妹會一員, 我的行為讓他這麼做,” 她說. “我看到那段影片時一邊哭一邊發抖.”