Calif. gunman kills 4, wounds schoolkids

A man went on a gun rampage in Northern California on Tuesday, leaving four people dead and two children wounded near an elementary school.

The gunman was killed by police officers after a spree that included driving around the town of Rancho Tehama and “randomly picking targets,” according to the county sheriff ’s office.

The Tehama County sheriff said the killer attempted to enter an elementary school, but failed because it had been put on lockdown amid reports of the rampage.

“The shooter took his vehicle and rammed their fence and gate and entered the grounds on foot with a semiautomatic rifle,” the sheriff said. “It appears he couldn’t make access to the room and he gave up and re-entered the vehicle.”

The carnage began at 8 a.m. when the unidentified man opened fire at a home in Redding.

He then stole a pickup truck and starting driving north, where he continued to shoot people.

A woman and her child were wounded in their vehicle while driving near the Rancho Tehama Elementary School.

After the gunman was unable to enter the school, he engaged in a shootout with officers and was killed in his vehicle.

Authorities recovered a semiautomatic rifle and two handguns.

Two hospitals said they were treating a total of seven gunshot victims.