Suspect in Fresno shooting spree that killed 3 shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ when arrested

your central valley writes

 

Three people are dead in a shooting spree in downtown Fresno on Tuesday, and the suspect was wanted in connection to the Motel 6 killing last week, the Fresno Police Department said.

Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, shouted “Allahu Akbar” as police tackled him to the ground after the shootings which were spread over four locations, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

The victims appeared to be random, Dyer said.

 

Shot Spotter detected the first gunshots around 10:45 a.m. Muhammad shot into a PG&E vehicle killing the passenger. The driver sped away and drove to Fresno Police headquarters.

Muhammad continued walking and opened fire at a local resident but missed. Shortly after, he encountered another resident and shot and killed that person.

He then continued to the area of Catholic Charities where he shot and killed a person in the parking lot.

PG&E sent out the following statement:

Our thoughts are with all involved in the incident that occurred in Fresno today. Public and employee safety is always our top priority. We are still gathering information on what happened, and will work to support first responders and law enforcement in their efforts.

 5 facts you NEED TO KNOW

The Heavy 

1. The Gunman Randomly ‘Sprayed Rounds’ at People as He Moved Through Downtown & Was Previously Convicted of a Federal Drug Charge

The shooting spree with multiple victims occurred in Fresno, California, with the gunman randomly “spraying rounds” at people downtown while shouting “Allahu Akbar.”

The Fresno police chief said all three people shot have died in the random attack.

The gunman has a criminal history. According to federal court records, Kori Muhammad, previously known as Kori Taylor, was arrested in 2005 on federal drug charges and pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm with a prior felony conviction. He received 110 months in prison, along with 92 months of supervised release, which ended early in September 2016.

One of the court documents included a motion for a psychiatric hearing because his attorney said he was suffering from hallucinations, paranoia and psychosis.

---

2. Those Targeted Included a Man at a Bus Stop & a Utility Worker & Muhammad’s Rambling Facebook Posts Include a reference to Donald Trump as a “White Devil”

Muhammad’s prolific social media posts are disjointed and rambling. In one, he called President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence “grafted white devils.”

The shooting unfolded on April 18.

According to the Fresno Bee, the Fresno gunman opened fire in the parking lot of “Catholic Charities at Divisadero and Fulton in downtown Fresno.” That wasn’t the only crime scene.

The newspaper reported that the gunman – originally described as a black male about age 25 – appeared to be randomly targeting people, shooting a man in a front yard, and then another person at a bus stop, and then a man in the Catholic Charities parking lot.

The shootings occurred over “multiple locations,” according to YourCentralValley.com.

According to the Associated Press, it doesn’t appear the shooter was associated with Catholic Charities, though.

3. The Gunman Was Already Wanted in the Slaying of a Security Guard at a Motel 6 & Was Homeless

Muhammad was already a wanted man; Fresno authorities were seeking him in the earlier slaying of a security guard.

According to the Sacramento Bee, police had named Muhammad, 39, the day before “as the suspect in the Thursday slaying of security guard Carl Williams at the Motel 6 on Blackstone Avenue near Ashlan Avenue.”

The 25-year-old unarmed Williams “was shot multiple times after an altercation with a man who pulled a gun, police reported,” adding that Muhammad was “armed and dangerous.”

The Bee reported that, according to police, “Muhammad is homeless and frequents areas from West Shaw and North Marks avenues to North Bullard Avenue and West Figarden Drive, along with the area near Fresno City College.”

---

4. The Shooter Reloaded & Cursed as he Fired, Reports Say

Witnesses described a cold and calculating killer who expressed anger as he targeted people.

The shooter paused to reload and was cursing as he opened fire on people in the parking lot, reported the Bee.

The gunman – who used a large handgun – is no longer at large, reported ABC7.

NBC Bay Area reported that the weapon was a “revolver-style gun.”

There was confusion in the media at first over how many had died; first reports said one, then two, and now police say all three victims have pased away.

At least some of those shot were utility workers with PG&E, reported George Takata, a local radio host.

ABC 30 reported that one victim was the utility worker with PG&E. “Another victim was found dead at Nevada and Fulton — where the shooting happened. A third victim went to Catholic Charities, just down the street from where the shooting happened, and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.”

---

5. One of the Victims Was Driven to a Nearby Police Station

There was a dramatic effort to save one of the three victims’ lives, as he was driven in his utility truck to the police station. But it was too late.

According to a KSEE24 reporter, “Pg&e workers victim of shooting, driver drove to police station. Police chief on scene car windows busted.”

ABC7 reported that the victim was driven to the police station, where he died. “One of the victims was driven in a PG&E truck to the Fresno Police Department’s headquarters in downtown Fresno where he died,” the television station reported.

Takata reported that criminal justice buildings were locked down.

“Source: Fresno Sheriff’s Department, Fresno County Courthouse and all 3 jails on lockdown in Downtown Fresno,” he wrote on Twitter.

Streets in downtown Fresno were closed as a manhunt unfolded and police dealt with multiple crime scenes.