Utility employee is Fresno shooting victim

"We had three people that were shot and killed and one person shot at in less than a two-minute time frame in the city of Fresno", the police chief said.

A Fresno police detective stands over the body of one of the three shooting victims Fresno, California.

Police had been looking for Muhammad in the Williams killing, and Muhammad said seeing his own name and picture in a press release Tuesday morning helped spur the rampage.

The victims, all white males, appear to be the target of a racially-motivated attack by Muhammad who reportedly expressed dislike of whites in Facebook posts, according to Dyer.

Muhammad had a criminal past and was wanted in connection with a shooting last week that killed a security guard at a Fresno motel who had responded to a disturbance.

Muhammad was arrested shortly after the shooting.

Public records list Muhammad as Cory Taylor and other aliases with addresses in Fresno and Sacramento.

"These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got", Mr Dyer said. "And when he was taken into custody, he yelled out "Allah Akbar", Dyer said. "I'm just kind of shocked".

He wrote that his "kill rate increases tremendously on the other side" and also posted about "white devils", themes he dwelled on in hip-hop videos that he posted on YouTube.

Police are searching for the revolver Muhammad said he tossed into a pile of clothing.

A resident says a victim of the Fresno shooting that left three men dead was lying on the sidewalk leading to his front door and had appeared to be carrying groceries.

Lieutenant Mark Hudson, a police spokesman, told AFP the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been contacted about the killings and it was too early to say whether they were terror-related.

The first victim was shot in a Pacific Gas and Electric utility truck, the Bee reported.

He said he was known to be homeless at times and had associated with gangs.

He claimed insanity and his lawyer requested a psychiatric examination, saying Muhammad "appeared eccentric with some freaky beliefs". His attorney said that Muhammad had "paranoia" and thought the justice system and his defense attorney were conspiring against him, court papers said.

Court documents also show Muhammad "suffered auditory hallucinations and had at least two prior mental health hospitalizations". Muhammad is now facing four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

He says a suspect is in custody. "Our Catholic Charities is located in the downtown area of Fresno but it is also a residential area".

Wolf says the charity doesn't believe the shooter was tied to Catholic Charities.

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

Following the shooting, Fresno city spokesman Mark Standriff said county offices were placed on lockdown, and people were urged to shelter in place. She says the charity is working with police to provide information.