Five dead as man kills three children and himself in California church

Amanshotandkilled histhreechildrenanda fourth person before taking his own life on Monday (Feb. 28) in an outburst of gun violence that unfolded in achurchnearCalifornia's capital, police said.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Rod Grassmann told reporters near the scene that investigators were seeking clues to a motive for the bloodshed but believed the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute.

The shooting erupted at about 5 p.m. local time inside TheChurchin Sacramento, located in the Arden-Arcade community on the eastern edge of Sacramento's city limits, Grassmann told reporters.

Achurchemployee on an upper floor of thechurchat the time told authorities he heard a single gunshot, followed by several more shots before he ran out of the buildingandcalled police, according to Grassmann.

Sheriff's deputies arriving at the scene foundfivepeople shot to death -threechildrenunder the age of 15, the fatherandanother adult who was not immediately identified by investigators, Grassmann said.

He said the father was believed to have shot the four other victims before turning the gun onhimself. Authorities did not say whether the second adult was related to the other family members or whether the person was amanor woman.

Local television station KTVU cited Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones as saying that investigators believe the shooting unfolded during a supervised visit between the fatherandthechildren,andthat the fourth victim was the adult chaperone.