High Speed Chase Leads To Death Of Oculus Rift Co-Founder

One of the co-founders of the Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles that’s seen the support of many prominent names in the industry, died on Thursday after he was struck by a vehicle involved in a high-speed chase in LA.

Police identified the victim yesterday as Andrew Scott Reisse, 33, a resident of Santa Ana, according to KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Co-workers described him as a “brilliant” man. He was walking in a cross walk when he was hit by a car. Police said the incident started when police saw two cars full of people. An altercation ensued, and one of the suspects, 26-year-old Gerardo Diego Ayala, was shot and killed. Police alleged that Victor Sanchez and two other suspect took off in a Dodge Charger.

Sanchez, who was allegedly at the wheel, fled from police and crashed into two vehicles before hitting Reisse during the high-speed chase. Sanchez led police through several red lights, including the intersection where Reisse was hit.

Reisse’s father, who lives in Virginia, told KABC-TV in Los Angeles that his son moved to Southern California about a year ago. Reisse co-founded Oculus VR with Brendan Iribe, Palmer Luckey, and Michael Antonov in Irvine, Calif.

Said Oculus Rift in a statement to KABC:

Andrew 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.

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,” the statement said. “Words can not express how sorely he will be missed or how deeply our sympathy runs for his family.

A sad and unfortunate end for Reisse, and I”ll personally pray for his family during this extremely difficult time.