(Reuters) – Four people, including two ethnic Hmong shamans, were killed in a gang-related shooting in California’s capital of Sacramento, officials and media said on Sunday.
The dead included the gunman, police said.
A fifth person was hospitalized in critical but stable condition with gunshot wounds, they said. The Sacramento Bee newspaper said the two shamans – traditional spiritual healers or guides – were in their 50s.
The shooting occurred late on Saturday in a southern Sacramento neighborhood, said Michele Gigante, a spokeswoman for Sacramento Police Department.
Authorities said they believe that the gunman was let into the home before he opened fire with a handgun, killing three of the occupants of the home and wounding a fourth person.
“We are pretty confident that this was not a random act,” said Gigante. “We’re looking into this being a gang-related crime.”
Gigante said she could not confirm the report that two of the dead were shamans.
The Hmong are an ethnic group originating in Southeast Asia. Many Hmong immigrants live in California.
(Reporting by Mary Slosson; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and David Brunnstrom)
