Shootings in California town leave at least 5 dead, 10 injured

Two women embrace outside Rancho Tehama Elementary School, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday in Corning, California. Authorities said that the gunman, choosing targets at random, opened fire in a rural Northern California town, killing four people at several sites and wounding others at the elementary school before police shot him dead. RICH PEDRONCELLI / AP

A series of shootings on Tuesday morning has left at least five people dead, including the shooter, and at least 10 others injured in a rural community in Northern California's Tehama County.

The gunfire, which began with a domestic violence incident around 8 am, developed into a shooting rampage at seven separate locations near the town of Red Bluff, 180 miles north of San Francisco, according to the police.

The gunman stole a truck and went on a shooting spree. He crashed the first vehicle and then stole a second one.

The shootings ended at the Rancho Tehama elementary school, leaving a 6-year-old student injured. The suspect was shot and killed by officers who confronted him. The whole situation lasted around 45 minutes.

At least 10 injured people, including three minors, were admitted into three area hospitals. No children were among the dead.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said it was clear early on the shooter was randomly picking targets throughout the isolated community, according to a report by local media Red Bluff Daily.

Authorities have yet to confirm the shooter's identity, but local residents say they were told the shooter was Kevin Janson Neal, 43, of Rancho Tehama.

Brian Flint, a local resident, told CBS that his roommate was among the victims, and the suspect was his neighbor, whom he knew only as Kevin. He said the neighbor had been shooting hundreds of rounds from large magazines.

Law enforcement officials said the suspect had a history of neighborhood disputes and may have been released on bond for a previous incident. It's not clear at this stage whether the man was licensed to carry a gun.

California Governor Jerry Brown expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com