A man wanted in the slaying of a hotel security guard killed three people Tuesday in a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, police said.
Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, was arrested shortly after the rampage and allegedly shouted "God is great" in Arabic while being detained, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.
Muhammad had posted anti-government comments on social media and said that he disliked white people, police said. All three victim's in Tuesday's shooting were white.
Dyer said Muhammad went by the nickname "Black Jesus" and has a history of making terrorist threats, but added that it was too early to call the shootings terrorism. He said Muhammad made other statements to police but did not disclose them.
Dyer said that in total, Muhammed fired 16 rounds from a revolver in one minute at four places within a block.
Investigators said that Muhammed, who is believed to be homeless, made multiple references to "destroying white devil skunks" on his now-removed Facebook page.
The shooting happened outside a Catholic Charities building, but spokeswoman Teresa Dominguez said the charity doesn't believe the suspect was tied to the nonprofit organization. Dyer said the shootings appeared to be random and unprovoked.
"These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got," Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said. "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual that was intent on carrying out homicides today. He did that."
Sayed Ali Ghazvini, imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, said Muhammad was not a member of his congregation and he did not recognize him. The imam said he is consulting with other faith leaders.
"We're kind of shocked and surprised for what happened," Ghazvini said. "We are very sorry for this to happen. We offer condolences for the victims, we pray for the victims and their families."
Muhammad has a lengthy criminal history that includes weapons violations, drug offenses and making terrorist threats, Dyer said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
County offices were placed on lockdown and people were urged to shelter in place during the shooting.
Muhammad was also wanted in connection to the shooting death of a secruity guard at a Fresno Motel 6. The FBI and ATF San Francisco Field Division are assisting Fresno police with the investigation.
According to Dyer, Muhammad shot at a PG&E truck along the 300 block of North Van Ness around 10:45 a.m., killing a PG&E employee sitting inside. Muhammad then continued walking along Mildreda Avenue and Fulton Street, firing at least 14 rounds at three separate locations.
The driver of the truck sped off to the police department for help.
One person was killed while walking along the street and the third victim was gunned down while standing in the parking lot of a Catholic Charities building, according to police. Muhammad also shot at another person during his spree, but missed.
Muhammad used a pistol with .357 caliber rounds and used a speed loader to reload.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Photo Credit: Fresno County Sheriff's Office