LOS ANGELES | The parents of the young man who carried out the deadly rampage near the University of California, Santa Barbara, say in a statement that they are “crying out in pain for the victims and their families.”

This undated photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows the driver license photo of Elliott Rodger. (AP Photo/California DMV)
This undated photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows the driver license photo of Elliott Rodger. (AP Photo/California DMV)

The family of Elliot Rodger issued the statement Thursday through a friend, Simon Astaire.

The parents say it is now their responsibility to do everything they can to help prevent such a tragedy from happening to any other family and to identify and deal with the mental issues that led to their son’s actions.

On Friday night Rodger stabbed three people to death in an apartment and then drove through the student community of Isla Vista, fatally shooting three people and wounding 13 others. He died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.