Fresno shooting rampage: 3 people killed, suspect yelled 'Allahu Akbar,' made posts against white peopleThree people were killed after a man went on a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, California on Tuesday while shouting "God is great!" in Arabic before he was tackled and taken into custody, police said.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said officers took Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, into custody in connection to the shootings. Dyer said Muhammad went by the nickname "Black Jesus" and shouted "Allahu Akbar" as police tackled him to the ground.
Dyer said at a news conference Muhammad has made posts against white people and the government on his Facebook page. All of the victims of the shooting rampage on Tuesday were white men, according to police.
These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got," Dyer said. "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual that was intent on carrying out homicides today. He did that."
The shooting spree began around 10:45 a.m. local time, when one person was shot in a PG&E utility truck, a second person was shot on Fulton Street and a third person was shot in the parking lot of Catholic Charities, FOX 26 News reported.
All three shooting locations were close to each other in the downtown area. Around 16 shots were fired during the shooting spree, police said.
“What we know is that this was a random act of violence,” Dyer said. “There is every reason to believe he acted alone.”
Muhammad was already wanted in connection to the killing of an unarmed security guard at a Motel 6 last week, police said. He now faces four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to court records.
It's too soon to say whether Muhammad, who was homeless, had ties to any militant groups or causes, Dyer said. Muhammad has a criminal history that includes arrests on weapons, drugs and false imprisonment charges and making terrorist threats, police say. He had been associated with gangs but was not a validated member.
"Our thoughts are with all involved in the incident that occurred in Fresno today," PG&E said in a statement. "Public and employee safety is always our top priority. We are still gathering information on what happened, and will work to support first responders and law enforcement in their efforts."
Dyer said Fresno police have called the FBI to assist in the investigation. FBI officials told Fox News the agency is not treating the shooting as an incident of terror, but is sending agents to the scene at request of local police.
Generally when a guy yells "Allahu Akbar" while he kills people, I don't have any trouble labelling him an Islamic terrorist. Whether acting alone or as part of a group, he is an ideological muslim, acting on the Koranic fundamentalist order to kill "infidels".
Add to that his hatred of white America.
And yet nobody wants to label him as part of a wider terrorist movement or trend.
