Gunman’s wife found dead; toll stands at 5

RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. — The wife of a gunman who went on a shooting rampage in a Northern California town was found dead inside their home, authorities announced Wednesday, raising the death toll from the attack to five.

Investigators discovered the body of Kevin Janson Neal’s wife hidden under the floor with several gunshot wounds. They believe her slaying was the start of the rampage, said Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston.

Neal shot and killed four other people and wounded 10 at different locations around the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve. Police later shot and killed him.

At the time of the attack, the gunman was out on bail after he was charged with stabbing a neighbor. Court records also show Neal was barred in February from having guns after the assault.

Neighbors had complained about him firing hundreds of rounds from his house, and the assistant sheriff acknowledged officers had visited the home on several occasions.

“Every time we responded, we would try to make contact with Mr. Neal,” Johnston said. “He was not law enforcement friendly. He would not come to the door. His house was arranged in a manner where we couldn’t detect him being there.”

“We can’t anticipate what people are going to do. We don’t have a crystal ball,” Johnston said.

Yet Neal was free and able to use a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns Tuesday to shoot 14 people, including at an elementary school, before he died in the shootout with police.

Court records obtained by The Associated Press show Neal surrendered his weapons as required by law in February, but Johnston said they recovered two illegally made semi-automatic rifles and two handguns, registered in someone else’s name.

At a news conference Wednesday, Johnston said Neal’s rampage lasted about 25 minutes, correcting an earlier estimate that it went on for 45 minutes.

Authorities believe his wife was killed Monday.