California gunman kills 3, injures 2 over tenant dispute

USPA News - Three people were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting late on Saturday afternoon in the city of Pasadena in Southern California, apparently after a dispute between the gunman and his landlord, authorities said. Five more people were shot in a second shooting incident in California.

The first incident began at about 4:20 p.m. local time on Saturday when gunshots rang out at a residence in the city of Pasadena, about 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. Police officers who responded to several 911 calls from nearby residents also came under heavy, direct gunfire. "The investigation so far - it`s still very early on - is that the suspect was either renting or staying with the victims in a bungalow or a series of apartments that apparently he was renting," said Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez. "So our understanding is that this is a landlord-tenant dispute, at least initially." Authorities said the gunman, identified as 35-year-old John Izeal Smith, shot and killed his elderly landlord before going after two women who were also involved in the dispute. "The two women ran out of the home. The suspect chased them, armed with a semi-automatic rifle. He fired and killed one of the victims on the sidewalk, and wounded the other victim who was able to get away," Sanchez said. A Good Samaritan in his 20s, who heard the gunfire and responded to try to help the women, was also fired at and killed. When an officer arrived at the scene and tried to reach the woman who was fatally shot, he too came under fire. "Apparently the suspect had retreated into the home and started firing from the home at the officer," Sanchez explained. He said the officer was not injured, but a number of bullets struck a police car he was taking cover behind. Smith, while barricaded inside the apartment, later called 911 and spoke with a dispatcher who convinced him to surrender peacefully. "Because she already had a rapport, [with a negotiator] coaching her on the side, she could say the right things and encourage the surrender of this person," the chief said. Authorities said the woman who was able to get away suffered moderate injuries and was transported to a local hospital. A fifth victim was also injured by gunfire but suffered only minor injuries and was treated and released at the scene by fire paramedics. Hours after the shooting in Pasadena, at about 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, gunfire also erupted in the parking lot of a business in Sacramento, about 360 miles (580 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. The Sacramento County Sheriff`s Department said a 20-year-old man was killed in the shooting while at least four others were injured. No arrests were immediately made and the motive was not yet known.