California Shooter Was Banned From Owning Guns

The man who killed five people in a shooting rampage in California on Tuesday was banned by court order from owning firearms—and police are being criticized for failing to take action after neighbors in Rancho Tehama Reserve complained that he had been firing hundreds of rounds. At a press conference Wednesday, Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said Kevin Janson Neal refused to cooperate with investigators, the Sacramento Bee reports. "He was not law enforcement friendly. He would not come to the door," Johnston said. "You have to understand, we can't anticipate what people are going to do. We don't have a crystal ball." Neal was out on bail after being charged with assault in January.

Johnston said Neal, who was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police, used two unregistered homemade assault rifles and two handguns that were registered to somebody else. He said Neal lost some of his ammunition clips at a local elementary school, where he spent several minutes trying to get into classrooms before leaving to seek other targets. The Rancho Tehama Elementary School was locked down just before Neal arrived. District maintenance department head Randy Morehouse tells the AP that a school custodian managed to rush children inside just in time. "He was able to get everyone inside so there was no one left on the blacktop," Morehouse says. "He's an absolute hero." (Police say Neal's first victim was his wife.)