Oculus Rift engineer killed by suspects fleeing Santa Ana police
Andrew Scott Reisse, a computer graphics engineer and a co-founder of Oculus VR, the company behind the Oculus Rift VR headset, was killed in Santa Ana, California on Thursday, reports local ABC affiliate KABC. Reisse was traversing a crosswalk when he was struck by a car, a Dodge Charger carrying suspects fleeing Santa Ana police.
Police reported that the car was driven by 21-year-old Victor Sanchez, who sped from the scene of an altercation in the 1000 block of Rosewood Court, along with two other suspects. The car had struck two vehicles and ran "several red lights," including the one near the crosswalk where Reisse was killed, according to Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. The police say all the suspects were gang members on probation.
In a statement issued by Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe and chief software architect Michael Antonov, the company said that the 33-year-old Reisse "was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family."
It goes on to say that "Andrew's contributions span far and wide in the video game industry. His code is embedded in thousands of games played by millions of people around the world," and "Words can not express how sorely he will be missed or how deeply our sympathy runs for his family."
Joystiq extends its sympathies to Reisse's family and friends.
[Thanks to all who submitted this story. Image: KABC]
