A man dressed in black killed four people before police took him down during a shooting spree in Santa Monica on Friday morning. The number of wounded stands at five, with one victim reportedly in critical condition.
Police say that the rampage began in a home just east of Santa Monica College. The gunman appeared to have killed two people in the house before setting it on fire.
He then hi-jacked a car and forced a woman to drive him towards the college. Eyewitnesses recount that the man got out of the car at two intersections and began indiscriminately firing at people, cars, and buildings. Two people were shot in their car, one of whom died while the other was rushed immediately to a local hospital.
The gunman fatally shot one more woman before exchanging gunfire with police, during which he was taken down.
Earlier reports from the shooting initially pegged the number of dead at six. This was later corrected once police confirmed the official number of victims.
Police are still in the process of identifying the suspect, though they describe him as being between the ages of 25 and 30. No motive for the shooting spree has been established either, as police have ruled out a connection between the shooting and President Obama’s appearance at an event just miles away.