A man wanted over the fatal shooting of a security guard set out to kill as many white people as he could, gunning down three men on the streets of Fresno, California, before being captured, authorities have said.
The suspect, a 39-year-old African-American named Kori Ali Muhammad, shouted "Allahu Akbar" - "God is great" in Arabic - as he was being taken into custody.
At a briefing Tuesday night, Dyer said police believed the killings were "motivated by hate" and not tied to terrorism.
Muhammad had also been wanted for the shooting death last week of a Motel 6 employee in Fresno.
All three men killed in Tuesday's shootings are white.
"These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got", Dyer said.
More than a few gunshots were detected nearby, Dyer said.
Another victim, a 37-year-old man, had just picked up a bag of groceries Tuesday at a Catholic Charities building when he was gunned down.
Witnesses said they saw a man carrying a large handgun, which he reloaded several times between shots.
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One of the victims, a PG&E worker, was sitting in the passenger seat of a PG&E vehicle when Muhammad walked up and fired into the vehicle. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries.
He claimed insanity, and his attorney requested a psychiatric examination for his client, saying Muhammad "appeared eccentric with some freakish beliefs". He says the suspect made other statements to police but did not disclose what they were. Williams, 25, was unarmed and was killed after allegedly getting into an altercation with Muhammad.
"This was a random act of violence, " Dyer said at a briefing earlier Tuesday. His social media included posts encouraging "black warriors" to "mount up" and referred to white people as "white devils". He also is accused of opening fire on two people who were not injured.
"We're kind of shocked and surprised for what happened", Ghazvini said.
The suspect will be charged with four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, Dyer said. The imam said he is consulting with other faith leaders.
He also has a history of mental illness and psychiatric hospitalisations.
The statement said: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims". Fresno's police chief said his former name was Cory McDonald. After reloading at a bus stop, the gunman then shot and killed a man in the parking lot of Catholic Charities in the 100 block of North Fulton Street, he said.
Fresno city spokesman Mark Standriff says county offices are on lockdown, and people have been urged to shelter in place.
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