The parents of college shooter Elliot Rodger, who were on their way to their son when they heard news that he had killed himself and six others, have finally issued a statement on his role in the University of California Santa Barbara murders.

Rodger’s father, Peter Rodger, an executive director on the first Hunger Games film, and mother, Li Chin, asked their family friend, Simon Astaire, to deliver a written statement on the US Today show on Thursday.

“We are crying in pain for the victims and their families. It breaks our hearts on a level that we didn’t think possible,” Astaire read. “The feeling of knowing that it was our son’s actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as hell on earth.”

“It is now our responsibility to do everything we can to help avoid this happening to any other family,” their statement said. “Not only to avoid more innocence destroyed, but also to identify and deal with the mental issues that drove our son to do what he did.”

Astaire told People Magazine that Elliot had been in therapy for most of his young life and his parents had tried to warn police of his violent intentions.

When Chin received her son’s 137-page manifesto detailing his motive and plan for the killings and saw his final YouTube video, titled “Elliot Rodger’s retribution”, she immediately called her ex-husband, Elliot’s father, and the pair rushed to Isla Vista, near Santa Barbara.

“Within moments of watching the video, he said, ‘We have to go to Santa Barbara,'” Astaire told People. “They are so crippled with grief. Their pain is not just for the loss of their son. Their pain is greater for the innocent who didn’t return on Friday night.”