UCLA shooter identified as former Ph.D student Mainak Sarkar

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Gun-free zones are stupid unless the entire country has gun control or there are proper checkpoints with searches that you have to go through to enter the zone. (Such as at a court.)

Anyway, you say Cali has strict gun laws, but A) how do they compare to, say, Australia, and B) is there anything to stop someone from driving to another state and getting a gun there?

Also, how was his gun obtained?

originally posted by: Eilasvaleleyn
a reply to: SlapMonkey

Gun-free zones are stupid...

You should have stopped there

Anyway, you say Cali has strict gun laws, but A) how do they compare to, say, Australia,...

It's not a proper comparison, as Australia doesn't have the second amendment.

... and B) is there anything to stop someone from driving to another state and getting a gun there?

No, but if they purchase it from a licensed firearm dealer (FFL) and they show their actual, out-of-state ID to said FFL, the place that they purchase it MUST, under federal law, ship the firearm to an FFL in the state where the buyer resides. So, you cannot go and purchase a gun from another state and have possession of the gun in that state, but you can buy it in another state and have it shipped to a dealer in your state of residence.

Also, how was his gun obtained?

I'm uncertain (actually, just too lazy to look it up right now), but if it was illegally, then no amount of gun laws would have stopped it. If he obtained it legally, it's impossible for the dealer or individual from whom he purchased it to know what his intent with the firearm would eventually be. I'm not sure what your point is in asking me that question.

Most people don't seem to care why the shooting occurred, and are content to just label the shooter "crazy" or "psycho" and end with that.

After all, if he's psycho then there's no rationale for the act.

But, since both Sarkar and Klug get such glowing reviews from people who knew them, this case is particularly puzzling.
So, I read all I could on the internet news reports and what people say, to try to figure out what happened. I think I finally understood the reasons.

Mainak Sarkar got his PhD from UCLA in 2013.

They don't give PhD's to failing students. So, alot of what people speculated about his poor grades, and failing is simply untrue. People were trying to find a reason why he was nuts. Bad grades, seemed logical. But, pay attention to what Sarkar actually said.

Sarkar was a brilliant student all the way through. From IIT India, to Stanford, to UCLA. Nobody goes to these places without being incredibly smart.

Sarkar's claim is that Prof Klug stole his computer code and gave it to another student, and further that this hurt him in some way.

But, Sarkar graduated years ago in 2013, so how could this transfer of computer code hurt him now?

After graduating in 2013 with his PhD, Sarkar went to work for a software development company called "Endurica, LLc". They build software to analyze rubber products, using "Finite Element Analysis" techniques.

To get his first job after PhD, he would have had to prove to Endurica that he was capable, and could do the work they had on offer. They would have asked to see some proof, like a sample of some code that he had written.

On his PhD program, Sarkar wrote some brilliant computer code, that Prof Klug admired, and praised him for. This code used the same "Finite Element Analysis" techniques, but in application to study the mechanics of the human heart. Sarkar most likely presented some of this FE code to Endurica, as evidence of his capability to work on their project. Since, the code was really good, Endurica immediately hired him. And Sarkar started working for them on their rubber algorithms using his expert knowledge.

This was a great job for Sarkar. He could work from home. He was what is referred to in the industry as a remote programmer. That means he didn't have to pay transportation costs, to go to and fro work, and could cook his meals at home, saving alot of time and money from operating out of his home office. For some people, this is their dream job. With no managers overlooking you, no timecards to punch in and punch out, you're master of your time, and can work how and when you like.

Sometime in August 2014, Sarkar abruptly leaves Endurica. When asked, Endurica refused to give the reason for Sarkar leaving. So, what happened with this dream job? And why didn't he just get another job from 2014 to 2016?

This is where we have to listen to what Sarkar complained about.

Some other student had is gotten his code. But, how could that affect Sarkar? How would Sarkar even know that another student had is computer code? And even if another student had the code, what would it matter?

Here is where we must put the pieces of the puzzle together, using our knowledge of how the hiring system works in the software industry.

Some other student probably showed up at Endurica, and also submitted the same FE code, trying to also get a job there, claiming also to have written this code. At that point, Endurica would be inclined to believe that Sarkar was dishonest, and got the job on false pretenses, and especially since he's a remote programmer, who they can't monitor effectively, they decided to let him go.

Having lost his job at Endurica, because of being wrongly suspected of being a dishonest person, Sarkar most likely got angry. Nevertheless, he would look for another job.

The problem now, however, is every-time he applied for a job, the new prospective employer wants to know why he left his last job. When they call his previous employer for reference, Endurica tells them they had to let Sarkar go for suspected dishonesty. So, nobody would hire him.

Still, Sarkar is a bright person. He could solve this problem. He just wouldn't mention Endurica, or give them as a reference. Instead, he lists the usual "two references" from UCLA, on his resume, his old Professor Klug and some other Professor who remains unidentified.

But, try as he might, he still cannot find a new job. Nothing can replace the dream job he had at Endurica, which he lost unjustly.

Brooding and fuming alone at home, with unpaid bills to pay, he descends into despair, he decides to get back at all the people whose actions hurt him. And we know the rest. I'm still puzzled why he killed his wife, though. There's not enough info published on that relationship to even begin to make a guess.

But, it could have something to do with his "green card". He probably got a US permanent residence, because of the marriage to a US citizen. And she probably married him, on condition that he was working and earning money. Once he became an unemployed, and unemployable person, she may have just decided to kick the bum out of the house, compounding the injustice he felt, so he added her to his "kill list".

Mainak Sarkar reached a point of no return, where he had no one he could go to for help. His wife would have been saying to him "get a job you bum", and the prospective employers would be saying "no job for you here", and he would have felt squashed between a rock and a hard place, with no understanding shoulder to cry on. So, he went mad.

Accustomed to solving all the hard math and science and programming problems, this is one "socio-economic" problem he could not solve himself.