Oculus Rift Co-Founder Tragically Killed as Bystander in High Speed Police Chase

It's with heavy hearts that we report the tragic death of Andrew Scott Reisse, the 33-year-old co-founder of Oculus VR. A Santa Ana resident, Reisse was walking in a crosswalk when he was hit and killed at the end of a high speed police chase earlier this week, according to ABC News in Los Angeles.

It all began when police attempted to investigate "criminal activity" involving two vehicles in the 1,000 block of Rosewood Court on Thursday. There was some type of altercation that ended with police fatally shooting 26-year-old Gerardo Diego Ayala. Three other suspects then bolted in a Dodge Charger, which ran through several red lights and crashed into two vehicles before hitting and killing Reisse.

Oculus Rift

"Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, av avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family," Oculus VR said in a statement.

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset captured the imagination (and wallets) of the tech world via a highly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $2.4 million, far surpassing the project's comparatively modest goal of $250,000. A handful of game developers have already promised support for the headset, and early looks at developer editions of the Oculus Rift have been promising, including one in which a 90-year-old grandmother gleefully reacts to a virtual world while wearing the headset.

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the Reisse family, Oculus VR team, and anyone who personally knew Andrew.