5 killed in shooting near school in California

Five people were killed, including the suspected gunman, in a shooting Tuesday morning near an elementary school in a small rural community of California, about 190 kilometers north of the state capital of Sacramento.

Tehama County assistant sheriff Phil Johnston said that two children were among the wounded. Hospital said they were treating seven people, including three minors.

He said police received call at about 8:00 a.m., saying "multiple shots were fired in Rancho Tehama, that evolved to multiple victims and multiple shots at the school."

"I am told the suspected shooter is deceased by law enforcement bullets," said the deputy.

Johnston said that the school was cleared, and the children who were attending school were moved to a safe location.

"We have about 100 law enforcement personnel in Rancho Tehama, working on at least five scenes," he said.

The policemen found a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns at the scene, Johnston said.

According to the local Redding Record Searchlight newspaper, five people were killed in the mass shooting and at least ten wounded people including children had been sent to three hospitals in north California.

The report said the bloody incident might be triggered by a domestic dispute. The gunman, in his 50s, drove out of home after a quarrel in the morning, then shot at people along street randomly. However, the authority said they are still investigating the motive.

Brian Flint, a young man told the Redding Record Searchlight that the suspect was a known felon and often harassed him and the other neighbors.

Flint said in video clips posted online by the newspaper that he got a call in the morning that his roommate was injured, his truck had been stolen, and his neighbor was identified as the gunman.

"The crazy thing is that the neighbor has been shooting a lot of bullets lately, hundreds of rounds, large magazines," Flint said, "We made it aware that this guy is crazy and he's been threatening us."

There are 1,485 residents living in the community, where reports said many people own guns.