Four people including three children under 15 were shot to death at a church outside Sacramento, Calif., on Monday afternoon, according to local officials.
The gunman, described as the children’s father, fatally shot himself, said Sgt. Rod Grassmann, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
No details were immediately available about the other victim.
“This is, as far as I can see, at this point a domestic-violence-related sort of incident,” Sergeant Grassmann told reporters on Monday evening.
It was unclear how many other people were at the church or why they were there, he said, but a service was not being held at the time. The church is in a diverse and densely populated area of suburban Sacramento.
“There will be a lot of physical evidence that needs to be collected,” the sergeant said. “You can count on that we will be out here for the night.”
Alyssa Lukpat and Shawn Hubler contributed reporting.