Police: 4 dead, 2 injured in shooting at American Indian tribal centre in California

ALTURAS, Calif. – Four people were shot to death and two were wounded in a shooting and knife attack at an American Indian tribal headquarters in California, authorities said.

Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said 44-year-old Sherie Lash was taken into custody after allegedly opening fire at the Cedarville Rancheria Tribal Office and Community Center.

Barnes said in a report carried by KRCR-TV that the four dead include a 19-year-old woman, a 30-year-old man, a 45-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man. The police chief said one victim is the tribe’s leader.

Tribal members were meeting about evicting Lash, also known as Sherie Rhoades, and her son from the Rancheria which, according to its website, is a federally recognized tribe with 35 members, the police chief said.

The station’s report said Lash, a former tribal leader, allegedly pulled out a gun and shot four people in the building and a fifth person who tried to flee. After running out of ammunition, she allegedly grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed another person.

One person escaped the building, covered in victims’ blood, and ran to the police station to alert authorities, the station reported.

When officers arrived, Barnes said, the suspect was outside the building, running and holding a knife.

Police said the stabbing victim and one of the shooting victims were taken to a hospital.

The bodies of the deceased were still in the building, authorities said.

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Information from: KRCR-TV.