Terror attack in Fresno?

Posted on: April 18, 2017 at 15:47:57 CT

“As he was taken into custody, he yelled out ‘Allahu Akbar,’”per the Police Chief




http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-fresno-shooting-20170418-story.html

A man shot and killed three people in downtown Fresno on Tuesday before surrendering to authorities, the Fresno Police Department said.

The suspect was identified as Kori Ali Muhammad, a 39-year-old man who was wanted in connection with the shooting death of a security guard outside a motel Thursday, said Police Chief Jerry Dyer. The FBI has been notified of the shooting deaths.

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“This was a random act of violence,” Dyer said.

The gunfire erupted at 10:45 a.m. in the 300 block of North Van Ness Avenue. A few seconds later, a second shooting was reported. A third shooting was reported, then a fourth.

In less than a minute, Dyer said, 16 shots were fired at the four different locations.

Moments later, a PG&E pickup truck arrived at police headquarters at Fresno and M streets to report his passenger had been shot by a gunman who approached them, he said. Dyer said the attack was unprovoked.

The gunman then walked westbound on East Mildreda Avenue from Van Ness, where he came across a resident. He then opened fire on the resident, the chief said. The resident was not struck by the gunfire.

The gunman continued walking on Mildreda and approached Fulton Street, where he encountered a man. The gunman fired several rounds at the man, killing him, Dyer said.

At this point, the chief said, the gunman unloaded his . 357 revolver, dropped the shell casings and reloaded his gun.

He then headed toward Catholic Charities in the 100 block of North Fulton Street and opened fire on a man in the parking lot, striking and killing him, Dyer said.

An officer in the area spotted the gunman running south on Fulton. The gunman then “dove onto the ground” and taken into custody, the chief said.

“As he was taken into custody, he yelled out ‘Allahu Akbar,’” Dyer said.

At least three of the victims were white, Dyer said.

Dyer said Muhammad had expressed hatred toward white people and the government.

Dyer said he wasn’t clear if it was terror-related.

“Too early to say whether or not this involves terrorism,” he said. “Certainly by the statement that was made it could give that indication, however, there was no statement that was made Thursday night when he shot the security guard. There was no comments made at that time.”

Two shaken catholic charity workers ducked under yellow police tape to get out.

They said they were told not to talk to media that everything has to go through media relations.

But one was a Vietnam veteran and said you never forget the sound of guns. He said they give away food every day. Families are only allowed to come once a week.

"We feed a lot of children so we have to make sure that the food gets spread around," the vet said.

Neither saw children there this morning. But there were a lot of teens and young adults.

The second man had been working in the back and when he came out he just went around to crying people asking "are you ok?"

Neither knew the shooter.

The people there his morning were there to get donated food. It wasn’t a government commodities day or there would have been a lot more people.

The charities is in a part of town that back at the turn of the century was where doctors and lawyers and such lives so a lot of big old Victorian houses in a poorer part of the city very near downtown.

PG&E said it was still trying gather information on what happened in Fresno.

“Our thoughts are with all involved in the incident that occurred in Fresno today,” PG&E said. “Public and employee safety is always our top priority.”