RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. — Authorities now say a gunman who killed five people in rural Northern California didn’t die from a police bullet but by his own gun.
In a final report Friday, the Tehama County sheriff’s office said an autopsy determined Kevin Neal shot himself in the head in his car after police forced it off a road.
Neal, 44, killed his wife Nov. 13 and went on a shooting rampage in Rancho Tehama Reserve the next day that included firing at an elementary school. He killed four others, including two neighbors, and wounded eight people — including a 6-year-old boy.
Authorities said neighbors had repeatedly complained about Neal firing hundreds of rounds from his house and engaging in other erratic, violent behavior.
Relatives say he suffered from delusions and mental problems.