FRESNO,CA --Fresno is the latest scene of a mass shooting since last week’s fatal shooting at a San Bernardino elementary school, killing a teacher and one student and comes on the heels of the Facebook shooting of a 74-year-old man walking down the street in Cleveland, Ohio.
According to news reports, homeless man,Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, shot a total of four people late this morning, killing three. He was alleged to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" (which means God is great in Arabic) as he was taken into custody, outside the Catholic Charities building on Fulton St.
Muhammad was also the key suspect in Thursday's slaying of security guard Carl Williams, 25, who was shot multiple times at the Motel 6 on Blackstone Avenue after a confrontation with Muhammad, Fresno police said.
Muhammad appears to be an African American man, whom members of his family, who wish not to be identified, said that Muhammad was fed up with "white people, the government and the system," and was angry and frustrated about not being able to get a break to better his life situation.
Muhammad had served 7 1/2 years in prison for having cocaine in his possession, a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and two rifles in his car; he was on parole and at that point in violation.
In 2005, his defense attorneys notified the court of a potential insanity defense in which U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wagner in October that year determined Muhammad was “presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense.”
According to the federal court records, he was committed to a mental facility for up to four months. Court documents also indicated that he "suffered auditory hallucinations and had at least two prior mental health hospitalizations.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer said it was too early to say if the attack was connected to terrorism.
According to his Facebook page, which was still live this afternoon, Muhammad attended Grant Joint Union High School in the Twin Rivers School District and went to Fresno City College and listed that he resides in Atlanta, GA.
He also studied multimedia at Consumnes River College in Sacramento. A spokesman for the Los Rios Community College District identified a student named Kori McWallace—with the same date of birth as Muhammad—who attended Consumnes, American River College, and Sacramento City College at various times from 1996 to 2004. However, no details were immediately offered about his studies or if he graduated.
He had also posted several black supremacist messages and images of black men who have been slain by the police on his page.
Watch online statement from Kori Ali Muhammad below: