Alleged California gunman reportedly had grudge

OAKLAND, CALIF. - The man suspected of killing seven people at a Christian college in Oakland felt picked on by other students because his English skills were limited and had planned the attack for several weeks, police said Tuesday.

One Goh, 43, of Oakland, told police that he "came here with the intent of locating an administrator," months after he had been expelled for behavioral problems, Police Chief Howard Jordan said at a news conference outside Oikos University, the site of Monday's shooting.

But the woman he was seeking, whose name wasn't released, wasn't there at the time, and "he then went through the entire building, systematically and randomly shooting the victims," carrying out a rampage he had planned several weeks earlier, the chief said.

Among the seven killed were six women -- one a secretary who police say was taken hostage by Goh early on -- and a man. The dead were from several countries, including Korea, Nigeria, Nepal and the Philippines and ranged in age from 21 to 40, Jordan said.

'Behavioral problems'

Goh had been upset at the administrator as well as several students "because of the way he was treated when he was enrolled here a few months ago," said the chief, adding the suspect may have been expelled from the school "for his behavioral problems" and for issues relating to "anger management."

Goh, a former nursing student, also left behind a string of debts in his former home state of Virginia, where he was evicted from one apartment complex.

Last year, Goh lost two family members, his mother and a brother.

His brother, U.S. Army Sgt. Su Wan Ko, died in March 2011 in an auto wreck in Virginia while on special forces training.

His mother, Oak Chul Kim, died a year ago in Seoul, South Korea, where she moved after leaving Oakland, according to her former neighbors in Oakland.

His father, Young Nam Ko, had been living in Oakland but recently moved, the neighbors said. The suspect has another brother, Su Kwon Ko, who lives in Centreville, Va.

Eviction, tax liens

He had federal tax liens in 2006 and 2009 totaling more than $23,000, although he managed to pay some of his tax debt.

Officer Johnna Watson, a spokeswoman for the Oakland police, said that this year Goh had legally purchased the handgun used in the attack.

Though called a university, Oikos is a small institution with a few hundred students.

The school is affiliated with the Praise God Korean Church, one of the many independent Korean churches that have mushroomed in the Bay Area.