Banning Police Chief Alex Diaz, right, and Beaumont Police Chief Sean Thuilliez talk about a shooting rampage in Riverside County, California, that left two dead. (Screengrab via KESQ-TV)
A gunman killed two people and injured three others during a rampage in Banning, California, on Saturday, police say.
The suspect, James Paul Diaz Jr., was arrested after a traffic stop in Beaumont after residents there reported he was knocking on doors and asking where his children were, according to the Banning Police Department.
“At this point, it seems like it’s random. There is no correlation between the victims and the suspect at this point,” Police Chief Alex Diaz said at an evening news conference, according to the Los Angeles Times. “This isn’t something that happens in small towns like Banning.”
The suspected gunman has been identified only as an Hispanic male in his 30s. The city is in Riverside County, about 80 miles from Los Angeles.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The First Victim Was Killed While Driving Past the Gunman
Police in Banning say a man went on a shooting spree killing 2 and assaulting others. He was caught in Beaumont. http://t.co/v3vz661nYU
Banning Police said at a news conference the rampage began at 11:36 a.m., when shots were fired from a white truck at a passing vehicle on John Street. The victim was shot and crashed. A passenger in the car was injured.
The victim was identified as Paul Lesh, the Los Angeles Times reports.
At 11:43 a.m., police received a second report of shots fired at a car. One person in that vehicle was injured by shattered glass.
2. The Gunman Is Suspected in an Assault at a Convenience Store
Police were called to an AM PM convenience store for a report that a person was assaulted multiple times by a gun. The vehicle suspected in that incident was also a white SUV, and police believe it was connected to the earlier shootings.
Investigators were able to obtain video surveillance of the incident from the store, police said.
3. A Second Driver Was Found Dead of an Apparent Gunshot Wound After Crashing
At 12:13 p.m., a second driver was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound. Police said they have still not connected the shooting to the earlier violence, as they are awaiting autopsy results.
The victim’s name has not yet been released.
4. The Suspected Gunman’s Kids Were Found Safe in Another State
Photo of suspect vehicle being towed in connection to deadly #Banning shootings. @KESQ http://t.co/GSsmpA2cSF
According to the Press-Enterprise, the suspect was knocking on doors in neighboring Beaumont after the earlier shootings. He was asking residents where his children were. Police said he also went up to a vehicle with children inside and asked the driver if his kids were in the car as well.
The Press-Enterprise reports that the suspect’s children were found, safe, along with other family members in another state. Police said the suspect is not a resident of Banning or Beaumont.
“We don’t know what his state of mind was. We don’t know what his motive was,” Banning Police Chief Alex Diaz said. “We have very little information on him right now.”
5. An Incident at Another Convenience Store Isn’t Believed to be Connected to the Suspect
Police believe the man in custody is the only suspect in the shootings.
Another man was arrested after police were called to a gas station convenience store along the freeway in Banning. According to the Los Angeles Times, about an hour after the original suspect was in custody, police were called to the Arco gas station by a clerk who said a man had a gun and was threatening him and others. The man was arrested a short time later in a white SUV, but police do not believe he was connected to the earlier violence, the Times reports.
“It’s crazy weather, I’ll tell you that,” Oscar Reza, who was in the store, told the newspaper.
