Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown confirmed told a news conference early Saturday that seven people were killed, including the gunman, and another seven wounded.
Brown said the suspect exchanged gunfire with deputies before speeding away in a BMW and crashing into a parked car.
Police found the suspect inside the vehicle dead from a gunshot wound to the head. But the sheriff said it had not been determined if the suspect was shot and killed by police or if the wound was self-inflicted. A semiautomatic handgun was recovered from the scene.
Investigators are attempting to piece together what sparked the shooting.
Brown said there were a total of nine crime scenes cordoned off for forensic work.
Witnesses described the occupants of a black BMW as involved in the seemingly random shootings in this college town early Saturday morning.
The victims include an individual who was shot dead inside a deli, while another fatality occurred near a 7-11 convenience store.
Kelly Hoover, public information officer with the Sheriff's office, confirmed that a second suspect has been apprehended.
Comment: I'll be interesting to see if any further reports refer to the second suspect or will the media quickly resort to the usual 'lone nut' narrative, as it has in the past when 2 or more suspects were initially reported.