Man opens fire on apartment complex while screaming about gun control and Obama

A California man opened fire on an apartment complex this Tuesday while ranting about President Obama’s gun control executive action. After firing wildly at the complex, police arrived and shot him dead after attempts to subdue him failed.

Around 6pm, the gunman, whose name has not been released by police, began firing wildly at an apartment building in Redding, CA.

“He was aiming at a guy, and then he just got sloppy — he was shooting everywhere” said Kathy Lunsford, a resident of the building.

The gunman did not hurt anyone in the incident, as residents of the building quickly took cover. Residents describe the gunman as wildly and indiscriminately spraying fire from his 9 mm Beretta handgun while screaming about the President’s executive action.

“We heard the five shots — everyone was screaming,” said David Rice, who lives near the complex. “He came out screaming ‘Obama! Obama! Obama!’ [Police] told him to come out with [his] hands up, and he kept telling them ‘No, no, no.’”

One neighbor said that the man shot 30 rounds, while another claims to have heard 70 shots. One neighbor recorded a video of the incident, which was confiscated by police and will likely not be released.

Police quickly arrived at the scene and attempted to subdue the gunman by firing non-lethal beanbags at him as he paced in and out of the building. The gunman refused to drop his weapon and police shot him dead after he exited the apartment building with his gun drawn.

A longtime friend of the gunman said that he suffered from a long history of depression, bouts of anger, and confusion, which were the root of his legal issues.

According to the Redding Record Searchlight, the man had prior felony convictions, which would have legally prevented him from owning a gun. The man had a misdemeanor battery charge in 2004. In a 2009, he pleaded no contest to a charge of illegally discharging a firearm, and was sentenced to jail for 60 days. Later, he was sentenced to 45 days in jail for a parole violation.

The Searchlight also reported that a letter from the National Rifle Association was posted in the apartment building’s window, addressed to the gunman. The NRA was asking the man to pay for a DVD he ordered, entitled “Combat Shooting and Home Defense Tips.”

Featured image via Flickr

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