UPDATE: Gunman in California Shooting Spree Stopped by Lockdown Procedures
Tehama County Sheriff says five people are dead, including the gunman, following a shooting spree in California.
- By Sydny Shepard
- November 14, 2017
[UPDATE: November 15, 2017, 8:57 a.m.]
The gunman who went on a shooting spree in California on Tuesday that left four dead and at least ten injured was kept from doing worse damage by lockdown procedures, officials said.
The shooting spree began shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, with police receiving “multiple 911 calls of multiple shooting sites” that included Rancho Tehama Elementary School, said Phil Johnston, an assistant sheriff in Tehama County.
According to Johnston, the gunman rammed the school fence and entered the grounds carrying a semiautomatic rifle and wearing a vest embedded with additional clips. However, he was unable to enter the classrooms because school officials had heard the gunfire and immediately locked down the campus.
The gunman fired dozens of rounds at the school, officials said, shooting out windows and through the walls of classrooms. At least one student was injured with gunfire and others were injured with broken glass.
Because he was unable to get inside the school, the shooter “became frustrated” and “went mobile again” after about six minutes, Johnston said.
The incident “could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for the quick thinking (of) staff at our elementary school,” Johnston said. He said school officials “saved countless lives and children”.
Seven different shooting locations were being treated as separate crime scenes. “It was very clear early on that we had a subject that was randomly picking targets,” Johnston said. He added that “most of the victims in this case appear to be random selections”.
Original story below.
Four people are dead and more are injured following a shooting spree in California that involved up to seven scenes of interest, including an elementary school.
Jeanine Quist, an administrative assistant with the Corning Union Elementary School District, says no one was killed at the Rancho Tehama Elementary School on Monday morning but a "number" of students were shot and wounded.
At least three children and one adult were transported to Enloe Medical Center, in Chico, California, the hospital confirmed to KHSL. Three people were transported by ground and one by helicopter.
According to the Tehama County Sherriff Phil Johnston, reports of gunshots came in just before 7:52 a.m. at a residential area on Bobcat Lane. It is believed that the gunman shot and killed at least one neighbor before stealing a truck and driving through town.
While information about what the gunman did on the drive is scarce, it is known that he randomly targeted a female and child in a car. Both are getting treatment at a nearby hospital.
Johnston said that the gunman was killed by a member of law enforcement and proper protocols for an officer-involved shooting had been initiated. On the suspect they found a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns.
About 100 law enforcement personnel responded to the scene and are currently working at least seven crime scenes in the area.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.