California police have arrested a man they believe shot and killed three people in three different locations Tuesday in Fresno, California.
Dyer said Muhammad had expressed dislike of whites in Facebook posts; all of the victims were white.
The Fresno spree killer apparently had an active online presence, including two digital rap albums and several social media accounts that posted racially charged threats against President Donald Trump, according to the Fresno Bee, a local media.
Muhammad is believed to have shot and killed three people on the streets of downtown Fresno on Tuesday, shouting "God is great" in Arabic during at least one of the slayings and later telling police that he hates white people, authorities said.
The shooting began around 10.45am Californian time near the headquarters for Catholic Charities, with 16 shots fired in less than a minute, authorities said.
Muhammad launched the attack shortly before 2 p.m. when he approached a utility truck and shot the passenger. He also had shot at a fourth person and missed.
Dyer said Muhammad approached a vehicle in between shootings, but he spared the lives of two women who were in the auto with a child.
Dyer said the police had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation about possible links to terrorism.
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Desiree Martinez says she met Kori Ali Muhammad three years ago when both were in a media training program at Community Media Access Collaborative in Fresno. The driver of the truck, who is Latino, sped off to the police department for help, but the worker, a 34-year-old white man, died.
"We were exhausting some follow-up leads", he said.
"On what appeared to be Kori Ali Muhammad's Facebook page, he repeatedly posted "#LetBlackPeopleGo" and encouraged "black warriors" to "mount up".
On Monday he wrote, "My kill rate increases tremendously on the other side".
It's too soon to say whether Muhammad, who was homeless, had ties to any militant groups or causes, Dyer said.
Muhammad was wanted over a separate shooting of a security guard outside a motel on Friday.
"This was a random act of violence", Dyer said. The gun may have been picked up by someone else, Dyer 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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