OAKLAND, Calif. — Accused college shooter One Goh was formally arraigned Wednesday on seven counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Goh’s murder charges include “special circumstances” clauses, which make him eligible for the death penalty. The special circumstances listed by the prosecutors include the commission of multiple murders and the commission of murder while engaging in the crime of carjacking.
Police say ex-student Goh, 43, killed six women and one man Monday at Oakland’s Oikos University in a shooting rampage apparently motivated by teasing and unfair treatment. Three others suffered gunshot wounds.
“The enormity and devastation of these crimes is unprecedented in Alameda County,” prosecutor Nancy O’Malley said. “My office will work tirelessly to ensure that this defendant is brought to justice.”
According to authorities, Goh has confessed to the crime, revealing he intended to shoot a specific female administrator but targeted students when he could not locate her.
Ella Cervellon, the nursing program director at Oikos, told a close friend that she believes she was Goh’s intended target, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Cervellon allegedly had a confrontation with Goh after he left the school last semester.
There were conflicting reports on whether Goh dropped out of the school or was expelled by administrators.
The Chronicle reported that Goh wore a red jail jumpsuit, with his hands shackled at his waist, at Wednesday’s hearing. He only spoke once, saying “Yes” when asked by Judge Sandra Bean of Alameda County Superior Court if One Goh was his legal name.
He is next scheduled to appear in court April 30, when he is expected to enter a plea.
According to police documents obtained by NewsCore, Goh’s shooting spree began at approximately 10:30am local time Monday after he arrived at the campus with a .45 caliber handgun and four fully loaded magazines.
He then drew his gun on a woman, forcing her to leave her office and enter a classroom. Goh told police he killed several people inside the classroom before taking one of his victim’s car keys.
The documents allege he drove a stolen vehicle to a Safeway supermarket in Alameda, about three miles (5km) away, and was arrested peacefully after telling a startled employee, “I just shot some people.”