Patrick "Hacker" Jones He knows a thing or two about hackin', lemme tell ya. The attack in Rancho Tehama, population just over 1,400, was among the more than 300 mass shootings in America last year in which four or more persons were wounded or killed. Neal saw the custodian and started firing at him, but Neals gun jammed. The New York Post reports the following day, he donned a ballistic vest, grabbed a semiautomatic rifle and two handguns and went on a 45-minute rampage across Rancho Tehama Reserve. [10] He then began firing at random vehicles and pedestrians. and 3 neighbors and moved to the elementary school in Tehama County at around 8 am. Its the attention [shootings] get or dont get that prompts the outpourings of support. Police in Tehama County said the shooting took place across several sites including the elementary school, with Kevin Janson Neal reportedly picking targets at random. Authorities said an additional six adults and six children four boys and two girls were wounded. [7] Recorded video shows Neal going into a field behind the school and firing into the air, apparently in frustration at being locked out of the classrooms. . He said that mostly, folks keep to themselves; thats just what people do. We wanted to see how people in this small community were coping now that all that coverage has faded. He was bleeding out. My high school classmates were massacred in 2018. Shortly afterwards, he engaged in a shootout with police officers . . Neal was on the APPS list and known to be . Her son his nephew was a Rancho Tehama Elementary School student. [9][18][20] One of the injured students, six-year-old Alejandro Hernandez, was the youngest victim; he was shot in the chest and leg, had to be airlifted to UC Davis, and required multiple surgeries. Rancho Tehama Elementary School was targeted by a gunman on Tuesday. RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. . Two women embrace outside Rancho Tehama Elementary School, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, in Corning, Calif. When the couple inside the car got out and tried to run for safety, Neil shot them. A gunmans deadly rampage through rural Rancho Tehama on Tuesday was stopped when police rammed his vehicle and exchanged shots in a fierce gun battle, authorities said. Source: Tehama County Sheriff. RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. (AP) A Northern California man killed two neighbors with whom he had been feuding before he went on a shooting . By the time I walked back to the gas station, Jim had gotten off work and was gone. Police believe the gunman, Kevin Neal, was likely targeting the neighbor's son, a kindergartner at the school and anyone else who got in his way. In November 2017, Kevin Neal went on a rampage in the secluded community of Rancho Tehama in California, which ended with five people being killed and many more injured. The smaller ones often received far less. Neal shot and killed four other people and wounded 10 at different locations around the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve. They said everyone knew it, including law enforcement. Neal's mother told The Associated Press her son, who was a marijuana . And she actually just the other day brought up the shootings again. The shooting incident took place near the Rancho Tehama Elementary school when some parents were dropping off their children. Every bullet missed but the one that grazed his arm. TEHAMA COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) The Tehama County assistant sheriff announced Wednesday morning that six people, including the gunman, were killed in a shooting rampage through a small Northern . David Steele, who lost two relatives in the November 2017 mass shooting in Rancho Tehama Reserve, walks away from the former site of gunman Kevin Janson Neals mobile home. Muscular but skinny after a recent battle with colon cancer, the 44-year-old has a couple-inch-long pink scar where one of Neals bullets seared the outer flesh of his tattooed right arm. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. But theres no end in sight for the psychological misery and financial troubles left behind. So Feitelberg and her grandson moved to a small town northeast of Springfield, Mass. And the month before, in Americas deadliest mass shooting, a gunman massacred a crowd of festival-goers in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and leaving more than 850 others injured. Definitely the biggest thing, he said, is wondering how theyre going to look at their dad when theyre older., Now 12 years old, Gage moved with Feitelberg to her and her husbands home in Sacramento immediately after the shooting. May 21, 2021. Ferreira did say that when Miss Nelson called 911, she got a busy signal. "And she has these night terrors, she wakes up yelling things. But she said the schools in Sacramento gave Gage no support whatever.. A memorial near a fire station in Rancho Tehama Reserve honors the victims of the 2017 mass shooting. . I went to my car, got my camera, and was distracted by the town flag I saw flying at half staff across the road. Neighbors complained to police about Neal firing guns from his property, but whenever sheriff's deputies visited his doorstep, Neal would not respond to their knocking. Methinks this explains wee Patrick's attempt to change the oath for county employees. Steele and Elliott lived two doors down from Neal, who murdered the pair last Tuesday. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Gunman kills four people in Northern California rampage, Ukraine says it's ready if Russia tries to invade again from Belarus. Their stories are deeply personal, but theyre part of a uniquely American modern phenomenon: communities broken by mass gun violence, then largely left alone to try to pick up the pieces. On November 1314, 2017, a series of shootings occurred in Rancho Tehama, an unincorporated community in Tehama County, California, U.S. He targeted seven locations in the rural community of Rancho Tehama, including an . [16] One student hiding under a classroom desk was shot and injured by a bullet that penetrated a wall. Ive always understood that people have mental issues. [9][17] A six-year-old student was also injured by a gunshot to the chest. Yes it did.". He was riding in a car with his son when Kevin Janson Neal opened fire. For many years Steve DuBois has enjoyed taking photos of his dogs in interesting and unusual places. What he failed to realize was Neal had walked up the ramp and was near the schools door. His leg was badly shot up. I spoke with Jim, the husband of Sara, the quick-thinking school secretary who put the school on lockdown. Its much closer as the crow flies, but theres only one way into the small community. News media reported others who were shot by Neal as he drove to the school, such as Tiffany Nai Phommathep, shot four times in the shoulder while driving in her truck with her children passengers, some of whom were also injured by Neals bullets. "On every occasion we responded, asking 'did you actually see him firing a gun?' [18][8] A woman was also shot when she attempted to distract Neal from the school. They said Kevin Neal had a violent history. Sanders said that encounter started a feud, and that over time, bad blood boiled. Both Ferreira and Sanders also saw Troy McFadyen, shot in the leg, sitting on the road beside his deceased wife. According to Ferreira, at that moment, Miss Nelson was ushering children into a storage room in the back of her classroom. They also received some short-term assistance from Tehama County and about $55,000 from a GoFundMe drive. I also spoke with two men who live directly across the road from the school where the gate is located, which Neal eventually smashed through with a car. And he never saw the banner draped across the schools front columns that declares Rancho Strong in big block letters. The timing was also bad for attracting sustained news coverage and support campaigns. Kevin Janson Neal, who on Tuesday went on a killing spree that left four people dead and 10 injured in northern California, also shot and killed his wife the prior night, officials say. Cell phone photo of officers arresting Jessie Sanders, and having him strip down. Hmm! Sanders said that the first thought that went through his mind was that if the cops had done their job in dealing with Neal following several violent episodes in the past, he wouldnt be there with guns trying to kill children. Relatives said Neal, who moved to California in 2005, had a history of mental illness and anger management issues, as well as an obsession with conspiracy theories. Lobdell immediately called for every child and teacher to go inside, fast, and get into lock down mode they'd practiced. By the time 44-year-old Kevin Neal was finally stopped - fatally shot by officers - Neal had killed five people and injured 18. But he still runs frightened into the house when he hears loud noises, Feitelberg said. Gary Coronado has been a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times since 2016. "They should have never allowed him to get bailed. [9][8], Eleven other peoplesix adults and five childrenwere also shot, but survived. James Woods Jr., 25, with daughter Nevaeh, 5. Kevin Janson Neal's deadly rampage in Tehama County apparently began Monday night when he shot his wife to death with multiple rounds, then hid her body under the floor of . Outside Rancho Tehama Elementary School after the shooting on Nov. 14, 2017. Murdaugh trial verdict coming within 3 hours was "shocking," legal analyst says, Lawsuits claim dental device wrecked teeth. Sanders said that while living with Elliott and Steele, there were several confrontations between his housemates and Neal. Three of the children were treated and released at the scene, two were treated and released from a hospital and one remains hospitalized. One bullet hit the vehicles metal frame near the windshield, producing a piece of shrapnel that lacerated Woods Sr.s face near his left eye. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office identified the five people killed by Rancho Tehama shooter Kevin Neal. A collection of painted stones left at the memorial. After a couple of more tries Nelson finally got through and was told 911 was getting a lot of calls. Sanders later surmised that when officers saw him, they erroneously thought he may have been a second shooter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Entrance to Danny Elliott and Diane Steeles home. It's clear Johnston, too, was altered that day. For example, in November 2017, Kevin Neal of Rancho Tehama went on a shooting rampage, killing five people, then himself. One student was wounded by gunfire and a second by flying glass. "He's a bad guy and I'm not going to glorify him in any manner whatsoever. During this time, Bruehl was oblivious to what was happening outside. As Ferreira told this part of the story, he was so overcome with emotion that I didnt feel comfortable asking more about what happened in the storage room. He said he saw flashes before his eyes with memories of his life the good things hed done, and the bad. The truck became stuck in the gate. Elliott was Sanders best friend, so it was emotionally difficult for Sanders to speak about Elliott as he shared some background. On Wednesday, California investigators announced that Kevin Neal, a gunman who killed four people in a series of shootings on Tuesday, may have begun his deadly rampage by murdering his wife. Gregg Cohen, told the Sacramento Bee he is prosecuting a man named Kevin Neal in that case. Sanders, a father himself, said he was moved to tears one day last week when his son the one Neal may have driven to Rancho Tehama Elementary School to kill got onto a school bus and shouted, My dads a hero!. Yikes!! Dan Flannery, director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said sustained assistance is key in the months and years following mass shootings. (Editors note:Doni Chamberlain contributed to this story. But little help has reached some of the hardest-hit people, like Sanders. The front yard where Tehama County, Calif., gunman Kevin Janson Neal lived with his wife, Barbara. Steve DuBois lives in Redding. Just a bad person. That seemed strange, so as the sound of gunfire intensified, Wythe grabbed the dog and fell to the floor. He was watching television, and didnt hear anything until the gunman was trying to leave. The restraining order expired in September, but was renewed before the shootings. "I feel like they and the sheriff's office were setting me up for failure.". James Woods Sr., 47, at a park in Rancho Tehama Reserve. Wythe said he was in his camper with Sammy, Bruehls dog, when he heard gunshots, something he said is common in this region, and not usually a cause for alarm. hide caption. Officers grabbed Sanders and made him take off his shirt, shoes and socks. Also in that classroom was Elliotts young son. [11] The woman was shot five times, four near her heart. He moved out of town, several hours away and into his parent's house with his wife and son. The attack ended when the gunman, Kevin Janson Neal, took his own life. It is being reported that Kevin Janson Neal, the suspect in the case of the horrific Rancho Tehama School shooting is the same man who was arrested earlier this year for an assault against an elderly person that resulted in likely "great bodily injury.". [20] A passerby, unaware of the shootings, stopped his car and asked Neal if he was okay; Neal shot and wounded him, stole his car, and continued the rampage, killing another person. Law enforcement arrived and a shootout ensued. She told her brother she thought someone was shooting at the elementary school. Danny Elliott and Diana Steele were killed five years after Gages mother died in an accident, said Sissy Feitelberg, Gages maternal grandmother. He was 7 years old. Sanders seemed like an open guy who talks as if he has a positive outlook on life. "The quick action of those school officials. And if they did he should have been supervised with an ankle [bracelet] or something! Ferreira said that the teacher tried to get the dispatcher to understand that she was calling from the school, the location of the shooter, but the 911 dispatcher hung up on her. Neal was known to authorities and had at least one prior arrest. He attacked my school," Johnston said. The. Jim works at the gas station in town. He said that as Neal emptied a magazine, in a matter of seconds, he could set the rifle over a magazine on the vest and the gun was reloaded. This angered Sanders. [13][19] Nearly 100 rounds of ammunition were fired into the school. Gage never spent another night in that house on Bobcat Lane where he once played in the yard with his father. At least one unregistered semi-automatic ghost rifle and two borrowed semi-automatic pistols were used. Gage still has a poster hanging on his bedroom wall adorned with messages from his former classmates well miss you, we love you but about three years ago, he lost touch with the last friend from his California life. Shooter Kevin Neal threatened out loud that he was going to kill Danny Elliott and then go to the elementary school to kill Elliott's 7-year-old son, said Johnny Phommathep, a neighbor who li Rancho Tehama Reserve. A shootout ensued, and Neal was killed. He fired dozens of shots through windows and walls from the . And then, all of a sudden one day after that, I had them.. On his way through the town, he shot a woman . He stepped out and fired randomly at the rooms around him. This Jan. 31, 2017 photo provided by the Tehama County Sheriff's Office shows Kevin Janson Neal, the gunman behind a rampage in Northern California. He opened fire near his home on Bobcat Lane in Rancho Tehama then drove off. They were the second and third people shot to death by Neal, who lived in a light-blue mobile home barely 100 yards from their property. Bruehl said Neal had an AK-47, and he and Wythe were both wondering where the cops were. As soon as he could, Sanders put in a call to Elliott to let him know they got Neal, not knowing his best friend was dead, killed by Neal. The shooter was killed by law enforcement. A man reported that his truck was stolen and his roommate was shot and . Police say the shooting then moved on to Rancho Tehama Elementary School . Authorities . He turned in one registered handgun to a vendor. Did this really in fact happen?' Sanders yelled at Neal, calling him names and demanding the gunman shoot him instead of the children. RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. . Scheide. He is a 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature photography for images of Central Americans risking life and limb as they jump aboard the trains from southern Mexico bound for the United States and a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news photography for team coverage of hurricanes. A bullet hole is seen in an exterior wall at the Rancho Tehama Elementary School on Nov. 15, 2017. Realtor Wilson says police should have been more vigilant. Kevin Neal. He stays at home, he has an Oculus [virtual reality headset], and he has a computer, and he does that and thats basically it.. We're not sure how.". [29][8] A neighbor later said he believed Neal might have been testing the response time of law enforcement. He introduced me to another hero from that day, Coy Ferreira, a father who scooped up a terrified child from the playgrounds open space, away from the spray of gunfire and into the safety of his daughters classroom. On Nov. 14, 2017, Kevin Janson Neal drove a truck into Rancho Tehama Elementarys fence and began shooting at the school, wounding five students. Gage never again saw fellow students who hid under their desks while Neal fired clip after clip at the school, including a 6-year-old who survived being shot in the chest by a bullet that traveled through a classroom wall. I lost my marriage over it, which I dont care, because my main thing was I wanted to make sure Gage was safe and he felt safe.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. So they didn't have the evidence to search his home? Cardenas says pledges of help to cover some medical costs transportation, medicine, mental health care have yet to materialize from the sheriff's office and the California victim's compensation board. By the time 44-year-old Kevin Neal was finally stopped fatally shot by officers Neal had killed five people and injured 18. Authorities have identified the man behind Tuesday's shooting spree in Rancho Tehama . The injured victims were transported to several area clinics and hospitals. In using the term, "domestic terrorist," I am .