Santa Barbara Victim's Father Wants to Meet Killer's Dad

"I lost my son. He lost his son. We have that in common," says Richard Martinez, whose son was killed

Photo: Twitter

His son’s murder left him with a raw anger and outrage that, over the weekend, turned to a search for answers and action.

Richard Martinez, who tearfully lashed out at “craven, irresponsible politicians” and the National Rifle Association the day after his son Christopher was gunned down in the Isla Vista massacre, now wants to meet with the father of the shooter.

“I lost my son. He lost his son. We have that in common,” Martinez tells the Los Angeles Times. “We want, if possible, that the deaths of our son and his son should mean something.”

Elliot Rodger, 22, the son of Hollywood movie director Peter Rodger, was suspected of stabbing three men to death in his apartment before going on a shooting spree through the neighborhood near the University of California, Santa Barbara, on Friday night, killing three more, including Christopher Martinez, at a deli. All six victims were UCSB students.

Simon Astaire, a writer and a close friend of the Rodger family, tells PEOPLE that Elliot’s parents want to meet the families of the victims.

“It will be done,” he says, adding, “They’re grieving … even more for the victims than for their son. … They want to meet them. It is an important part for them.”

• Reporting by MELODY CHIU

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