At least five people are dead, including the suspected gunman, following a shooting at a church in Sacramento, California, on Monday, authorities said.
The gunman killed three kids before turning the gun on himself around 5 p.m. at an Arden-Arcade area church in Sacramento. Those killed were pronounced dead at the scene and authorities believe the incident was domestic violence-related. Details on the fifth person, an adult, were not yet available.
“We are actively monitoring the shooting at a church in Sacramento and working closely with local law enforcement,” tweeted the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom. “Our thoughts are with the community, parishioners, and all those impacted by this horrific event.”
Law enforcement is investigating, and nearby roads were closed after the incident.
“Howe and Ethan and Howe and Cottage have a large police presence due to a shooting, please avoid the area,” Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Twitter. “The Sheriffs Office PIO will be at the command Post located at the Home Depot on Howe and cottage.”
A massive law enforcement presence was at the scene, including a SWAT vehicle, according to videos posted by local media on Twitter. They included officers from the Sacramento Police Department, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento’s KXTV-TV reported.
The three children killed in the shooting were under the age of 15, said Sgt. Rodney Grassmann, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. The shooting was contained inside the church. Grassmann said, and the identifies of those involved have yet to be released.
It is believed that the shooter and victims all knew each other, authorities said
The sheriff’s office said the father had a restraining order against him and the incident occurred during a supervised visit with his kids at the church, where they would often meet, tweeted Morgan Rynor, a political anchor for KXTV-TV.
The shooter was not supposed to have a gun and the mother of the three kids has been notified, Rynor added.
Sacramento City Councilman Eric Guerra deemed the incident a “mass casualty shooting event,” on Twitter. He advised people in the area to be on alert as local law enforcement responded.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in on the shooting via Twitter, calling it a “senseless act of gun violence in America – this time in our backyard. In a church with kids inside.”
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