Man kills 3 children, 1 other, himself at Sacramento church

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE and CHRISTOPHER WEBER

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The man who shot his three children, one other person and himself Monday at a California church was estranged from the kids’ mother, who had a restraining order against him, an official says.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said investigators believe the shooting happened during a supervised visit with the children, and the fourth victim, an adult, was the chaperone.

The shooter’s identity wasn’t immediately released.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — 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.

A church employee heard the gunshots and called 911, Grassman said. The shooting occurred in the main sanctuary area, he said.

Sheriff’s officials are investigating it as a domestic violence incident, Grassman said.

Officials 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.

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporter Stefanie Dazio also contributed from LA.