A father walked into a church Monday near Sacramento, California, and fatally shot three of his children — all under 15 — and someone who appeared to have been supervising the family visit before killing himself, authorities said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom described the shooting as “another senseless act of gun violence in America.””Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and their communities
According to CNN, the shooter had a restraining order against him and had to visit his kids with supervision, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told reporters. The children’s mother was cooperating with authorities, he said.
The incident was the 70th mass shooting of 2022 in the United States — with at least four people injured or killed, not including the shooter — according to Gun Violence Archive.
No one else in The Church in the Arden-Arcade area at the time of the shooting was involved, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Parker Wilbourn told CNN. Most were employees or congregates, he said, and no one else at the scene required medical aid.
It’s not clear whether a service or event was happening at the church at the time.
A fire official previously told CNN that the fifth person found dead was identified as the shooter’s wife. CNN has reached out to the fire department and sheriff’s office for further clarification.