(Adds details of suspect's mental health history)
SEATTLE, June 6 (Reuters) - The man accused of killing one person and wounding two others in a shooting spree at a small Christian college in Seattle suffers from "significant and long-standing mental health issues" that were a factor in the tragedy, his lawyer said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters after a court hearing in which a judge ordered the suspect, Aaron Ybarra, 26, held without bail on suspicion of first-degree murder and assault, defense attorney Ramona Brandes also said her client had been involuntarily committed in the past because of mental illness.
She added that Ybarra was sorry for the victims' pain.
The probable-cause statement filed in court by prosecutors said Ybarra confessed to police detectives that he was the gunman in Thursday's incident, that he had been planning a mass shooting and wanted to kill as many people as possible before taking his own life.
Local media reports citing unidentified police sources have said Ybarra, who is not a student at the college, was fascinated with mass shootings at other schools, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado.
Police offered no public explanation for why the suspect might have singled out Seattle Pacific University, a Methodist liberal arts college of some 4,000 students.
Ybarra is accused of walking into a building on the campus armed with a shotgun and opening fire on three people before pausing to reload his weapon.
At that point, police said, a student building monitor doused the gunman with pepper spray and tackled him. Several bystanders jumped in to help, seizing his gun. He was arrested minutes later by police, who said the suspect also was carrying a hunting knife and at least 50 rounds of shotgun ammunition.
SUSPECT WAS COMMITTED TWICE
In a statement read to reporters on Friday, Brandes said: "Mr. Ybarra suffers from significant and long-standing mental health issues, including delusions, that were in play during yesterday's tragedy.
"I do not know at this point in time why Mr. Ybarra's illness brought him to Seattle Pacific University, but I can tell you that he recognizes the suffering of the victims and their families. He is sorry for their pain," she said.
Brandes said she did not know the circumstances of his prior involuntary commitment. Police in Mountlake Terrace, a suburb south of Seattle, said on Friday that Ybarra had been detained and committed to mental health facilities twice after erratic behavior in 2010 and 2012, without giving any details.
Citing unidentified police sources, local KIRO-TV said Ybarra had visited the Columbine high school in Colorado where two students killed a teacher and 12 classmates before taking their own lives in 1999.
A 19-year-old SPU freshman who was shot during the rampage died a short time later. A 20-year-old woman remained hospitalized on Friday in serious condition in the intensive care unit, although she was conscious and breathing on her own.
A 24-year-old man was in satisfactory condition with pellet wounds. A 22-year-old man was treated for minor injuries suffered in the scuffle with the suspect, police said.
The bloodshed in Seattle marked the latest in a series of mass shootings at schools and other public places across the United States in recent years that have renewed a national debate over gun safety and mental illness.
Two weeks ago, a 22-year-old man stabbed three people to death and fatally shot three others before taking his own life in a rampage across a college town near the University of California at Santa Barbara. (Additional reporting by Jimmy Lovaas and Bryan Cohen in Seattle; Writing by Steve Gorman and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney)
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.