(CNN) Wednesday’s shootings in which a gunman killed his former wife and four others before killing himself near Bakersfield, California, “has implications of a domestic violence case,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said
The gunman and his ex-wife had been divorced four months, and she had just filed for a new hearing regarding child support and property values, Youngblood said Thursday.
The gunman killed two females and three males in three locations in a span of 30 to 35 minutes, he said. Earlier, authorities said the gunman had killed one female and four males.
The shooting spree started at T&T Trucking, where the gunman — after arriving there with his ex-wife — shot her and a man, Youngblood said.
Investigators aren’t fully sure about a motive, but it appears the former couple had some type of connection to the trucking company, and the shootings appeared well-planned, Youngblood said.
“It appears to be there’s more than just a husband and wife having a fight, because other people were targeted. There’s a reason for that, and we need to find that reason,” the sheriff said.
[Original story, published at 1:55 p.m. ET]
A man killed his wife and four other people in shootings across three locations Wednesday evening near Bakersfield, California, before killing himself as a sheriff’s deputy confronted him, authorities said.
The crime spree took roughly 15 minutes, and investigators are trying to figure out why the man went on the rampage, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.
“I’m certainly speculating right now … but I’m pretty comfortable that there will be a connection between all these players,” Youngblood said at a news conference late Wednesday.
The shootings began just after 5 p.m. PT when the man and his wife went to a trucking business east of Bakersfield, Youngblood said.
At the business, the husband confronted a man and fatally shot him — and then “turned and shot his wife,” who later died, the sheriff said.
Another male arrived, and after a short foot chase, the gunman shot and killed that person outside the nearby Bear Mountain Sports, a hunting equipment shop, Youngblood said.
The gunman then went to a nearby residence, where he shot and killed two more males, according to the sheriff.
He then hijacked a vehicle with a woman and child inside, but they were able to escape. The gunman headed to a nearby highway, where he saw a deputy and pulled over into a lot.
As the deputy drew a weapon and confronted him, “the suspect put the gun to his (own) chest and killed himself,” Youngblood said.
Authorities didn’t immediately release the names of the gunman or the five people he’s said to have killed.
Youngblood said investigators didn’t know of the gunman’s motive, and they didn’t know whether any of those involved worked at the trucking company. The shooter had at least one handgun, the sheriff said.
Investigators intend to question about 30 witnesses in the case.
