Isla Vista reaction: The dos and don’ts of intervention

A woman places a candle in front of IV Deli Mart, where par of Friday night's mass shooting took place by a drive-by shooter, on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in the beach community of Isla Vista, Calif. Sheriff's officials say Elliot Rodger, 22, went on a rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara, stabbing three people to death at his apartment before shooting and killing three more in a crime spree through a nearby neighborhood. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The tragic murders in Isla Vista last week have raised difficult questions about what constitutes a red flag and what authority parents and law enforcement officials have to act on, when they see one

The killing spree that took place on Friday night, in Isla Vista left the UC Santa Barbara searching for answers to the senseless murders of six students at the university, and the 13 injured.

There are many questions about how the homicides could have been stopped before they happened. What would you do if your adult child started making threats like Elliot Rodger? Call police? Go to his apartment? Shadow him?

What kind of behavior constitutes a legitimate red flag? What authority do parents and law enforcement officials have to act on, when they see one? If more stringent laws are put into place to restrain people from perceived danger to self and others, do we run the risk of trampling on people’s civil liberties?

Guests:

Mitesh Parekh, licensed psychologist specializing in young adults and their families

Eugene Volokh, Professor of Law at UCLA Law School whose expertise includes constitutional law and freedom of speech

Renee Binder, a psychiatrist and professor in residence at UC San Francisco

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