News

Multiple People Killed in Northern California Mass Shooting

Authorities in Rancho Tehama said the gunman was allegedly involved in "a domestic violence incident" before the attack.

Published Nov. 14, 2017

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At least five people are dead, including the shooter, after a 14 November 2017 mass shooting attack in Rancho Tehama, California.

Authorities said that they were investigating multiple crime scenes, including the local elementary school. At least two children were reported among the 10 people who were injured and hospitalized.

Rancho Tehama is a small community about 120 miles northwest of Sacramento, the state capital.

Tehama County Undersheriff Phil Johnston said that a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns were recovered from the scene. Both are thought to have been used by the suspected gunman. Authorities have not released the alleged gunman's identity, but a local man, Brian Flint, identified himself as the man's neighbor, saying:

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

Johnston said that authorities were aware of "a domestic violence incident" involving the alleged gunman but did not release details. A July 2015 report by the Congressional Research Service found that a statistically significant number of mass shootings are related to domestic disputes:

A domestic dispute of some sort was allegedly a contributing factor in about a fifth of mass public shootings and arguably nearly all of the familicide mass shootings.

Domestic violence is also often a precursor to such attacks, indicating a pattern of violence that then escalates into mass shootings.

Sources

Schultz, Jim. "UPDATE: Five killed, 10 hospitalized in Rancho Tehama shooting." Redding Record-Searchlight. 14 November 2017.

Shyong, Frank et al. "5 Dead After Shooting at Elementary School in Northern California; Students Airlifted to Hospitals." Los Angeles Times. 14 November 2017.

Nashrulla, Tasneem. "Five People Dead, Including Gunman, After Shooting Near Elementary School In California." Buzzfeed. 14 November 2017.

Krouse, William J. and Richardson, Daniel. "Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims, 1999-2013." Congressional Research Service. 30 July 2015.

Arturo Garcia is a former writer for Snopes.