Man kills his 3 children and himself at a California church

By Kathleen Ronayne and Christopher Weber Associated Press

3 years ago

Law enforcement vehicles from several agencies block a street near the scene of a shooting in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Police tape blocks the street near the scene of a shooting in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

A Sacramento Police officer stands behind police tape blocking the street near the scene of a shooting in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

A man shot and killed his three children, one other person and himself at a church in Sacramento, California, on Monday, authorities said.

Deputies responding to reports of gunfire around 5 p.m. found five people dead, including the shooter, at the church in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, said Sgt. Rod Grassmann with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The victims included three juveniles under 15 years of age, Grassman said. He didn’t know their genders.

The identity of the other victim wasn’t immediately known.

Grassman said he didn’t know if the family members belonged to the the church, which sits on a mostly residential block near a commercial area east of downtown Sacramento.

It wasn’t immediately known how many people were at the church or if there were any services or activities at the time of the shooting.