Following the deadly Northern California shooting that spread to Rancho Tehama Elementary School on Tuesday, investigators are still combing through seven separate crime scenes. There’s still much work to be done, but authorities are now revealing much more about the suspect, Kevin Janson Neal, who was killed by law enforcement, and his rampage that left five people dead and at least 10 more injured.
Eyewitnesses who lived in Neal’s neighborhood already reported that they’d suspected he was “crazy,” and outlets quickly discovered that he was a known felon. However, the incident that was already presumed to have started as a domestic dispute (with the suspect then randomly selecting victims in different locations) spawned gruesome details. CBS News reports word from Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston, who reveals that Neal allegedly killed his wife on Monday night and hid her body under floorboards:
“We believe that’s probably what started this whole event … There was a hole cut in the floor….we’re confident that he murdered her, shot her at some point on Monday, and just put her body in the hole in the floor and just covered it up.”
CNN reveals that Neal reportedly began Tuesday’s shooting spree by killing a neighbor who had previously accused him of assaulting her with a deadly weapon and taken out a restraining order against Neal. From there, authorities believe that Neal stole another neighbor’s vehicle and began “driving by residences and arbitrarily shooting at them.” He began firing his gun near the elementary school and attempted to enter individual classrooms while growing frustrated at the inability to do so, for teachers had already undertaken emergency procedures.
The New York Daily news reports that Neal’s vehicle contained three firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle. He was also reportedly in possession of another gun that hasn’t yet been located, and Assistant Sheriff Johnston says that he wore a tactical vest while carrying out the violence. Johnson also describes the way that Neal selected most of his victims as “arbitrary.”
Widespread reports indicate that Neal’s family and neighbors were well aware of his erratic behavior. His sister, Sheridan Orr, spoke with the New York Daily News about her brother’s deteriorating mental health, his paranoid rants, and his “irrational, irate, and uncontrollable” behavior. Orr stated, “If he couldn’t get the health care he needed, he had zero business with guns.”
(Via CBS News, CNN, Daily Mail, New York Daily News & KCRA)