UPDATE, 1:30 p.m.: The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office provided a few more details on this morning’s multi-site “shooting rampage.” They still are not identifying the shooter saying only that he is an “adult male.” And while it’s believed that today’s events were spurred by a domestic issue that occurred yesterday, law enforcement seem to believe that the shooter had not preplanned his actions.
“Most of the victims in this case appear to be random selections,” Undersheriff Johnston said.
Johnston said that ten people were injured and are being treated in area hospitals. At least one is believed to have life-threatening wounds. None of those killed were children.
California Governor Jerry Brown issued the following response to today’s shooting:
Anne and I are saddened to hear about today’s violence in Tehama County, which shockingly involved schoolchildren. We offer our condolences to the families who lost loved ones and unite with all Californians in grief.
Vice President Mike Pence also weighed in:
Saddened to hear of the shooting in N. California, the loss of life & injuries, including innocent children. We commend the effort of courageous law enforcement. We’ll continue to monitor the situation & provide federal support, as we pray for comfort & healing for all impacted
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) November 14, 2017
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UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: Tehama County Sheriff’s Office undersheriff Phil Johnston has provided an update on this morning’s incident (watch below), which he says began as a domestic violence incident in the Rancho Tehama Reserve, a subdivision between Red Bluff and Corning.
Law enforcement now says that five people, including the shooter, have been killed. Two officers engaged the shooter, killing him, and ultimately retrieved a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns:
The shooter’s identity is not being released at this time. Law enforcement is currently working at seven separate shooting sites. There may be more victims, they say.
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Original Post: At least three people are dead and at least two children have been injured after a shooting incident this morning in the Red Bluff area, according to numerous area media outlets.
The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office tells the Redding Record Searchlight that the shooting started just after 8 a.m. and that they are working at multiple scenes.
BREAKING: At least 3 dead in shooting in Tehama Co. it started at a home and moved to the school. Shooter shot and killed by police. pic.twitter.com/xIKvyIxq4y
— Sara Stinson (@SaraStinsonNews) November 14, 2017
“Multiple shots were fired in Rancho Tehama, with multiple victims. I am told the suspected shooter is deceased from law enforcement bullets,” a TCSO deputy said.
Law enforcement says the shooter started firing at one location before moving to Rancho Tehama Elementary School, which is located a few miles northwest of Corning. At least two students from the school have been taken to area hospitals — a 6-year-old was reportedly helicoptered to Mercy Medical Center in Redding with two gunshot wounds. The deceased adult victims were shot at a different location.
Witnesses at the scene told KRCR that they heard between 90 and 100 gunshots near the school over a span of 25 minutes. Students have been transported to a secure location. A parent of a Rancho Tehema Elementary School kindergartner shared his experience with a KRCR reporter:
Coy Ferreira, whose daughter is a kindergarten student, was dropping his daughter off for class just before 8 a.m. when he heard what sounded like a firecracker. A school secretary ran out and yelled for the kids to get in the classrooms because someone was shooting at the school.
Ferreira said he ran into a classroom with 14 students. He said the series of shots came through the classroom windows, hitting one student. Ferreria said a young boy was shot in the foot and the chest. When he spoke to us, he said the child was alert and talking. He said another student in an adjacent classroom was shot under the arm. That child was also conscious.
Rancho Tehama resident Brian Flint told reporters that his neighbor is the shooter and that his roommate is one of the people shot and killed. He said that the neighbor had been firing a lot of rounds lately. Hear his statement below.
More from Flint via the RS:
Flint said he got a call in the morning that his roommate was injured and that his truck had been stolen. It turned out his neighbor was the gunman, Flint said.
“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.”
Living near the gunman was “hell,” Flint said, and the man was a known felon who often harassed him and his neighbors.
We will update this post as we know more.