Isla Vista shooting: Parents talk of a loss no one should ever feel

George Chen’s parents slowly walked by the memorial in front of the Capri apartments in Isla Vista. Their son was one of six UC Santa Barbara students allegedly killed by Elliot Rodger on Friday during a rampage through Isla Vista.

His mother Kelly Y. Wang, wore a black shirt and pants, his father, a green polo and jeans. A group of people came up to them and hugged them.

“We do hope this is the last one, forever,” said Wang as a woman held her.

Both of them are engineers and said their son wanted to follow in their footsteps. Chen wanted to work at Lockheed Martin, Wang said.

She always looked forward to his visits. Chen would often pick up elderly neighbor’s mail or take out their trash.

He also volunteered for a Buddhist-based organization, Tzu Chi.

“He was always very sweet an helpful,” Wang said. “He had always been a very smart kid.”

His father, Junan Chen, didn’t find out his son had been killed in Friday’s attack until Saturday. He had heard about the attack, but because his son didn’t usually go out to party he didn’t think he had been hurt in the attack on the streets of Isla Vista.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” he said.

“This is a pain nobody should have to go through,” Wang said. “This is not the first time it happens, a killing spree, but I hope it’s the last one. No parent should have to go through this.”

Weihan Wang, 20, of Fremont, along with Cheng Yuan Hong, 20, and Chen, both of San Jose, were found by authorities stabbed to death in the apartment they shared with Rodger. Wang looked at the flowers, signs and candles before walking away.