dangerous men
Suspected California gunman had been arrested for assaulting a woman and was out on bail
The suspected gunman who killed four people and wounded 10 others in Northern California on Tuesday was apparently out on bail and had been arrested in January for assault, SFGATE reported Wednesday. The shooting spree began near the shooter's home before he eventually stole two cars and drove around for 45 minutes shooting at random. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston told SFGATE that "this guy was bent on driving by residences and arbitrarily shooting at them."
On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that the suspect's mother had posted bail for her son in January after he was charged with stabbing one of his neighbors. While Johnston would not provide the alleged gunman's identity, he did confirm that the suspect was arrested in January for assault involving a woman who later issued a restraining order against him. The woman in question was one of the first people killed in Tuesday's rampage.
People who knew the suspect had previously been suspicious of his behavior. The president of the local homeowners' association said that neighbors could "always hear him shooting. A lot of neighbors called. We would hear the shooting every day." Just one day before the shooting, police responded to a "domestic violence incident" involving the suspected shooter. The gunmen in the recent mass shootings in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and Las Vegas both had previous histories of domestic violence, which is not uncommon with mass shooters. Kelly O'Meara Morales
Update 1:42 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon that the assistant sheriff in Tehama County found the suspect's wife dead in her home, bringing the death toll to six, including the shooter.