Race attack shooter kills three at random in California

Muhammad picked the white men at random in three different locations Tuesday in Fresno, California, and fired 16 shots into them.

The suspect is 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, an African American man who goes by the nickname Black Jesus on Facebook.

Officers witnessed him yell "Allah Akbar", Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Tuesday afternoon, adding that he has written anti-government sentiments on social media as well as posts saying that he does not like white people. While police were responding to the scene, a PG&E pickup truck pull up to Fresno Police headquarters on Fresno and M Street and notified police that his passenger had been shot near Mildreda and Franklin avenues.

He also allegedly pointed the gun at three Hispanic women - a woman, her adult daughter and her 4-year-old granddaughter - who heard the gunshots and got into their vehicle, which had trouble starting. Fresno police chief said his former name was Cory McDonald.

So far this year, there have been more than 17,700 incidents involving guns nationwide and 4,405 fatalities, Gun Violence Archive, a not-for-profit group, said on its website. Williams, 25, was unarmed and was killed after allegedly getting into an altercation with Muhammad.

'He would say something derogatory about anybody, didn't matter about the color, ' she said. He said that he and other faith leaders are working to identify the gunman and what potential ties he had in the community.

Police say it doesn't appear the suspect is connected to terrorism despite the statement that he made. "We offer condolences for the victims, we pray for the victims and their families".

Records show Muhammad was charged in 2005 with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. He had been associated with gangs. but he was not a confirmed member, police say.

He claimed insanity, and his lawyer requested a psychiatric examination for his client, saying Muhammad "appeared eccentric with some weird beliefs". He was already wanted for a separate killing from last week, in which a Motel 6 security guard in Fresno was gunned down. Fulton Street is closed at Divisadero Street as well as several other streets in the area. 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 happened Tuesday morning near a Catholic Charities building.

He also is accused of opening fire on two people who were not injured.

Dan Lynch of Fresno County Emergency Medical Services says the two wounded by gunfire have been transported to hospitals.