In this little-visited slice of Northern California, a mass shooting that occurred nearly five years ago has in some cases left behind battered people who have yet to reckon with its multilayered effects. [9][35] His mother had reportedly noticed a decline in his mental health since 2016. Two women embrace outside Rancho Tehama Elementary School, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, in Corning, Calif. By the time I walked back to the gas station, Jim had gotten off work and was gone. Crowdfunding efforts, which can be reliable resources for victims in the aftermath of prominent mass shootings with high death tolls, failed to raise enough money to defray the cost of their hospital bills and other needs. Sanders said that Elliotts young son is now an orphan, since the boys mother died a few years ago. Lobdell's fast action likely averted a massacre. Dan Flannery, director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said sustained assistance is key in the months and years following mass shootings. Sanders seemed like an open guy who talks as if he has a positive outlook on life. Gage never again saw fellow students who hid under their desks while Neal fired clip after clip at the school, including a 6-year-old who survived being shot in the chest by a bullet that traveled through a classroom wall. Medical professionals cut teeth and tissue out of the then-20-year-olds mouth. I spoke with Sanders sister Tina, and a man named Jose, uncle of the 6-year-old boy shot while he was at school Tuesday, huddled on the floor, too afraid to move from the danger of his classroom to the safety of a teachers storage room. After Neal sped off in the truck, Sanders raced from the school and across the airport runway to his moms place. "He didn't come to the door so they moved on. Some people might find bitter comfort knowing that one name is permanently off the list: Kevin Janson Neal. I was ready," he says of that fall day. Time stopped in November 2017 for many who were affected by Neals bloody rampage, which left behind seven separate crime scenes and ended when he turned one of his guns on himself. [5][11][32] The other victims were 56-year-old Joseph McHugh III and 55-year-old Michelle McFadyen;[11] police believe they were randomly targeted. [10] He then began firing at random vehicles and pedestrians. It's a question many here ask: couldn't more have been done to stop this, to at least enforce the restraining order against the gunman? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A GoFundMe drive for an 11-year-old Robb Elementary student who was injured by bullet fragments and released from the hospital shortly after the shooting has received more than $478,000. His life changed that day forever. He never went back to Rancho Tehama Elementary School after that day, when he and approximately 100 other students were locked down after staffers heard gunfire nearby and quickly hustled them in from recess. To many in town, hes a hero, though he says he dislikes the term. Gunman Kevin Janson Neal is believed to have spent six minutes shooting into the school before driving off to continue his shooting spree. At least one unregistered semi-automatic ghost rifle and two borrowed semi-automatic pistols were used. Kevin Janson Neal, who on Tuesday went on a killing spree that left four people dead and 10 injured in northern California, also shot and killed his wife the prior night, officials say. And then I have to do implants. It's something Assistant Sheriff Johnston seems to struggle with. Kevin Neal killed five people and wounded at least a dozen others before he was shot and killed by authorities in Rancho Tehama Reserve, Calif. Tuesday. She's used to the echo of gunfire in this rural community. And by the time police got to him, Cardenas says, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to make it. Bruehl said Neal had an AK-47, and he and Wythe were both wondering where the cops were. Sanders and Ferreira both expressed frustration that the mass murder that happened in their community exactly one week ago was not just senseless, but preventable. Rancho Tehama Elementary School was targeted by a gunman on Tuesday. The shooting finally ended after what authorities described as a 45-minute rampage through Rancho Tehama, a quiet reserve about 120 miles northwest of downtown Sacramento. (Tehama County Sheriff via AP) The 35-year-old tree trimmer is now unemployed and, for now, unable to work because of his wounds. According to Sanders sister, Tina, when Neal got close to the school again, he crashed the vehicle he was driving into another vehicle just a short distance down the road from Sanders mothers home. By the time 44-year-old Kevin Neal was finally stopped fatally shot by officers Neal had killed five people and injured 18. Sanders said that he and Elliott were both threatened by Neal at various times, as were both of their young sons. He gets good grades, she said, but for four years, he kept to himself, he made no friends, he didnt want to go out anywhere. [22][41], Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 05:56, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, List of rampage killers in the United States, List of school shootings in the United States, "Northern California shooter exploited 'honor system' in telling court he had no guns", "Former deputy says Rancho Tehama Reserve a hotspot for guns, pot", "California shooting gunman's neighbor lived in fear of him", "Poor and isolated, victims of Tehama shooter turn to the internet for help", "Rancho Tehama gunman killed his wife and hid her body under their home, authorities say", "Calif. rampage survivor talked gunman out of firing final shot", "Police knew 'madman' had guns before killing rampage", "Terror in Northern California town as gunman goes on rampage, sprays school will bullets", "Locked out of school, Tehama County gunman shot at children from outside", "Mother driving her boys to school when Rancho Tehama gunman struck shielded her son despite her wounds", "Mother shot 5 times by Rancho Tehama gunman begged for help to no avail", "Despite court order to give up weapons, Tehama gunman fired guns with impunity, frightening neighbors", "Students at Rancho Tehama Elementary return to school after mass shooting", "Tehama shooter may have been targeting 7-year-old boy in school shooting, neighbor says", "California mass shooter made his own rifles", "Rancho Tehama gunman targeted wife, neighbor before attacking passersby at random", "Who are the Victims of the Rancho Tehama Shooting? [32] He was held on US$160,000 bail, which was posted by his mother with a bail bond. One of children was the 6-year-old boy who would eventually be injured by gunfire. California, November 16 . Sanders said he was furious when he saw who it was; that Neal was the shooter trying to kill kids. Neal was killed by a self-inflicted gun shot. Finally, help arrived for her when law enforcement drove up Rancho Tehama Road toward the Ranch and they saw that Nai Phommathep was in need of help, and took care of her and the children on the side of the road. Ferreira said he grabbed the boy and ran into the storage room. Police believe the gunman, Kevin Neal, was likely targeting the neighbor's son, a kindergartner at the school and anyone else who got in his way. Neal, 44, fatally shot his wife late Monday, Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said at a press conference Wednesday. The younger Woods was hospitalized for more than a week. Police in Tehama County said the shooting took place across several sites including the elementary school, with Kevin Janson Neal reportedly picking targets at random. hide caption. It was a real big shock.". Now, nearly five years after the shooting, Feitelberg said she and Gage only truly feel secure when theyre together at home. One of the most illuminating conversations was with Sanders, someone who provided vital details and left me with an understanding that goes straight to the heart of the story: a possible motive. The area has a variety of wildlife with scattered domestic cattle grazing. [10][4] Following his release, Neal continued to harass the neighbors, causing them to successfully seek a restraining order that required him to surrender his firearms and not purchase additional guns. Like many here, Wilson fully understands that the department is tasked with covering an large, rural county with limited resources. He never returned to the classroom where the gunman unsuccessfully tried to open the door, which had been locked just seconds earlier. Not everyone who lives in Rancho Tehama knows exactly what happened. [1][37] Police said that, despite this, he illegally manufactured the guns he used in the shootings. Tehama County district attorney confirms the suspected shooter, Kevin Janson Neal, was killed by police. He began freelancing for the Orange County Register and relocated to south Florida in 2001, when he was awarded a fellowship through the Freedom Forum. He introduced me to another hero from that day, Coy Ferreira, a father who scooped up a terrified child from the playgrounds open space, away from the spray of gunfire and into the safety of his daughters classroom. This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Fox News finally reveals its kryptonite: the bottom line, 12 reasons why Sycamore Avenue is L.A.s coolest new hangout, Best coffee city in the world? The result is multiple stories, many of them second- and even third-hand; some of them conflicting. Rancho Tehama Reserve. Sanders said Neal had a smile on his face when he saw Sanders, and that Neal looked determined to kill him, almost as if he were happy Sanders showed up at the school, saving Neal the trouble of having to find Sanders and murder him later. The restraining order expired in September, but was renewed before the shootings. [17] The handguns were not registered to him. On Nov. 14, 2017, a shooter killed five people and wounded several others in the rural Northern California town of Rancho Tehama. So they didn't have the evidence to search his home? [14][17], After fleeing the school, Neal crashed the pickup truck into another vehicle and fired at the two occupants as they tried to flee; the female driver was killed, and her husband was wounded in the legs. [9][10][8], After killing his neighbors, Neal stole a pickup truck that belonged to one of his victims. All rights reserved. The motive for the shooting is still unclear. Kevin Neal. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. But clearly, theres a part of Rancho Tehama thats anything but peaceful. [30], Five people were killed on the day of the shooting spree, including the perpetrator, who died by suicide after a confrontation with a police officer and a deputy sheriff. The bigger ones, including the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, received lots of coverage by us and other media during and after the attack. He said he saw flashes before his eyes with memories of his life the good things hed done, and the bad. Scheide. Neal was outside, beating his wife Barbara Gilsan. He was sprayed with glass, metal, and bullet fragments from both sides, he says, as he crouched in the front passenger side of his truck. But theres no end in sight for the psychological misery and financial troubles left behind. Phommathep said he is certain Kevin Neal drove to Rancho Tehama Elementary School to kill Gage. [11] In total, deputies were called to Neal's Bobcat Lane home 21 times for various reasons in 2016 and 2017. I also got to meet Jessie Allen Sanders, the man whos been called a hero that day at the elementary school for putting himself in danger to help save lives. Dykes also showed where Michelle Iris McFadyen was killed on the side of the road. Kevin Janson Neal was arrested, charged with stabbing neighbor Hailey Suzanne Poland, attacking her mother-in-law during Jan. 31 encounter in rural neighborhood. Casualties: Killed Targeted shootings: Barbara Ann Glisan (aka Gilsan), 38 (Neal's wife, shot at their home) Danny Lee Elliott, 38 (Neal's neighbor, shot at home) That gave the school a few more critical seconds to go into complete lockdown mode. A bullet hole is seen in an exterior wall at the Rancho Tehama Elementary School on Nov. 15, 2017. He targeted seven locations in the rural community of Rancho Tehama, including an . It is being reported that Kevin Janson Neal, the suspect in the case of the horrific Rancho Tehama School shooting is the same man who was arrested earlier this year for an assault against an elderly person that resulted in likely "great bodily injury.". David said Neal then hid behind some trees and shot Elliott and Steele when the pair came outside. Elijah Nouvelage /AFP/Getty Images He turned in one registered handgun to a vendor. Neal then held the women hostage "for a period of time," Cohen said Wednesday. According to Ferreira, at that moment, Miss Nelson was ushering children into a storage room in the back of her classroom. Sanders said that while living with Elliott and Steele, there were several confrontations between his housemates and Neal. Neal saw the custodian and started firing at him, but Neals gun jammed. My high school classmates were massacred in 2018. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. "There was absolutely no question, no hesitation and I do believe that that also helped," she says. Some people may consider moving away. "And she has these night terrors, she wakes up yelling things. Gage still has a poster hanging on his bedroom wall adorned with messages from his former classmates well miss you, we love you but about three years ago, he lost touch with the last friend from his California life. A gunmans deadly rampage through rural Rancho Tehama on Tuesday was stopped when police rammed his vehicle and exchanged shots in a fierce gun battle, authorities said. He loves that the kids enjoy seeing his dogs photographed in unusual ways. I lost my marriage over it, which I dont care, because my main thing was I wanted to make sure Gage was safe and he felt safe.. Ive always understood that people have mental issues. It wasnt until Neal got back to his truck that one bullet grazed Sanders right forearm. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. / CBS News. killing 58 people and leaving more than 850 others injured, Rancho Tehama gunman targeted wife, neighbor before attacking passersby at random, Terror in Northern California town as gunman goes on rampage, kills 5, The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Snowboarder dies at South Lake Tahoe resort, California to alter COVID rules in healthcare settings: Masks and vaccinations not required, Welcome to the world, baby Winter, born amid a snowstorm in Lake Arrowhead. Sanders said Neal actually shot guns toward them on several occasions, but Neal would lie and say theyd been shooting at him. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office identified the five people killed by Rancho Tehama shooter Kevin Neal. Jessie Sanders has lived in Rancho Tehama Reserve since he was 5. Inside, the walls of secretary Sarah Lobdell's office are adorned with colorful "thank you" cards and well-wishes from across the state and the nation. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. On the morning of Nov. 14, 2017, he helped prevent a potential bloodbath at the elementary school by drawing fire from the gunman in an act he brushes off as his parental duty. More and more, its also the kind of place where some residents no longer feel safe, and are no longer surprised when they leave their homes to return to find them broken into and/or vandalized. Neal obliged, turning his assault-style rifle Sanders direction and firing like 60 times, Sanders said. They were the second and third people shot to death by Neal, who lived in a light-blue mobile home barely 100 yards from their property. 2017 . I was really scared because I did not know what was happening to Angalene, she said. "On every occasion we responded, asking 'did you actually see him firing a gun?' The Ranch is quite isolated in a rather hilly location. Police say the shooting then moved on to Rancho Tehama Elementary School . The man ran off and Neal stole his car. RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. When the couple inside the car got out and tried to run for safety, Neil shot them. [1] He handed over a single pistol and attested that he had no other guns. Rancho Tehamas small private airport runway is between the school and where Sanders moved in with his mother after Elliott asked him to leave for the sake of their safety. One of them.". I'm scared Lol. That seemed strange, so as the sound of gunfire intensified, Wythe grabbed the dog and fell to the floor. Among . Here's when they take effect", "Tehama County shooting update: Gunman's wife found dead", "Shooting rampage in California highlights "ghost guns" and their dangers", "Tehama County certifies final June election results", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rancho_Tehama_shootings&oldid=1140470783, Barbara Ann Glisan (aka Gilsan), 38 (Neal's wife, shot at their home), Danny Lee Elliott, 38 (Neal's neighbor, shot at home), Diana Lee Steele, 68 (Elliott's mother, shot at home), Joseph Edward McHugh III, 56 (unknown location), Michelle Iris McFadyen, 55 (killed in vehicle crash), Tiffany Nai Phommathep, 31 (shot in vehicle), John Phommathep Jr., 10 (Tiffany's son, shot in vehicle), Jake Phommathep, 6 (Tiffany's son, shot in vehicle), Jessie Allen Sanders, 39 (shot near elementary school), Francisco Gudino Cardenas (shot in vehicle), Alejandro Hernandez, 6 (shot at elementary school), Troy Lee McFadyen, 59 (Michelle McFadyen's husband, shot near vehicle), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 05:56. Ferreira ran onto the playground, picked up the little girl and rushed her into the classroom. A collection of painted stones left at the memorial. But she said the schools in Sacramento gave Gage no support whatever.. A black and red RANCHO STRONG banner hangs across the entrance to the collection of L-shaped trailers that make up the small Rancho Tehama Elementary School. Sissy Feitelberg with grandson Gage Elliott, who was orphaned at the age of 7 in the November 2017 shooting. Here's the things we look for: shell casings on the ground, something fresh that we could use, evidence that we could use to write a search warrant. Meanwhile, directly across the road from the schools gate through which Neal had just crashed, lived friends and neighbors Johnny Wythe and Uncle Chuck Bruehl. Gage Elliott became an orphan on Nov. 14, 2017. The timing was also bad for attracting sustained news coverage and support campaigns. It ripped his world, said Feitelberg, who moved her grandson out of Rancho Tehama Reserve after the shooting. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Gage Elliott became an orphan on Nov. 14, 2017. Relatives said Neal, who moved to California in 2005, had a history of mental illness and anger management issues, as well as an obsession with conspiracy theories. Were only just beginning to understand the lack of support that families impacted by gun violence get.. [22][23][24] The 25-minute attack took place at eight crime scenes using one semi-automatic ghost rifle and two semi-automatic pistols. News media reported others who were shot by Neal as he drove to the school, such as Tiffany Nai Phommathep, shot four times in the shoulder while driving in her truck with her children passengers, some of whom were also injured by Neals bullets. Troy McFadyen was injured, and his wife Michelle McFadyen was killed. Neal went on a 25-minute tear through the community, starting just down the road from his home, where he killed his neighbor and two men, then stole a Ford F-150 pickup and drove north, said Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston. Steve says his dogs have been his photographic inspiration and motivation, but sometimes he tries his hand at nature shots, such as the photos he captured of the north states 2017 flooding, published here on A News Cafe.com. She told how, as she drove up the road toward home, she saw her brother Sanders walking along the road. The shootings led to domestic and international debate over the control of ghost guns and gun-licensing law in the United States. Definitely the biggest thing, he said, is wondering how theyre going to look at their dad when theyre older., Now 12 years old, Gage moved with Feitelberg to her and her husbands home in Sacramento immediately after the shooting. A school custodian and the teachers put it into action. I arrived at Rancho Tehama Sunday morning, and I left that evening. Ferreira recalled that at one point, he wanted to know the location of the shooter, so he ventured a look out the window. Kevin Janson Neal shot Woods in the face during the 2017 rampage. 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Another young man, Dale Dykes, showed where Neal was shot and killed by officers, just a short distance down the road from where Sanders lives. Nine months before the shooting rampage, a judge had issued Neal a restraining order at a neighbor's request and ordered him to surrender his guns. The attack in Rancho Tehama, population just over 1,400, was among the more than 300 mass shootings in America last year in which four or more persons were wounded or killed. I met one man who lives in a hill-top home surrounded by beautiful vistas. Kevin Janson Neal has been identified as the suspect who opened fire at Rancho Tehama School in Northern California, part of a widespread attack that left four people dead. hide caption. The more I heard, the more I learned about this isolated place surrounded by barren hillsides that less than 1,500 people call home. The New York Post reports the following day, he donned a ballistic vest, grabbed a semiautomatic rifle and two handguns and went on a 45-minute rampage across Rancho Tehama Reserve. They tried to get him to remove his pants, but he wasnt wearing shorts and refused to remove his jeans. I mean really. Officials say Kevin Hanson Neal, 43, began firing at 7.52am on Tuesday. A patchwork of country homesteads and double-wides, Rancho Tehama Reserves spare core features little more than a baby-blue post office with matching recreation center and homeowners association office, a gas station, a shuttered pizzeria and a cracked asphalt airstrip. Was the gunman targeting the boy? The woman, who had a concealed carry permit, pulled out her own handgun but was unable to fire it before Neal drove away, Johnston said. They were his first victims. [10][21], As Neal was chasing an innocent victim and shooting at them from his car, he was being pursued by law enforcement. [5] In addition, seven children suffered injuries from shattered glass. The Tehama County Sheriffs Office on Thursday released the names of the five people killed by a gunman who rampaged through Rancho Tehama on Tuesday, spraying bullets at several locations, including an elementary school. In reply to Jeff Gorder. Soon after, Neal arrived at Rancho Tehama Elementary School, where he barreled the stolen truck through the front gates and into the quad. Tehama County sheriff's deputies responded 21 times in the past year to calls involving a Northern California man who had been quarreling with neighbors before he shot and killed five people last . I spoke with Jim, the husband of Sara, the quick-thinking school secretary who put the school on lockdown. He said the look of fear in his sisters eyes was frightening. On Nov. 14, 2017, Kevin Janson Neal drove a truck into Rancho Tehama Elementarys fence and began shooting at the school, wounding five students. Over two days, according to the FBI, five people were slain and 14 others were wounded, including five children at Rancho Tehama Elementary School, before the gunman, 44-year-old Kevin Janson Neal, took his own life. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office identified the five people killed by Rancho Tehama shooter Kevin Neal. [7] His neighbors, 38-year-old Danny Elliott and 68-year-old Diana Steele with whom he had had previous conflicts, were his first two killings on November 14. Its a place with so few public services that the volunteer fire department is the most official entity. Dale Dykes shows the location of the fatal shootout between officers and Kevin Neal that left Neal dead. [6][7][8], The next day Neal went on a shooting rampage, first killing a man and a woman, both neighbors with whom he had an ongoing feud over their suspected methamphetamine dealing. Miss Nelson yelled at Ferreira to get away from the window. "He did shoot at a number of classrooms which resulted in the injury of at least one or two students that I'm aware of," the sheriff said. . [4] Major stores, social services, and medical careincluding a hospital emergency roomare in Red Bluff and Corning. Neal shot and killed four other people and wounded 10 at different locations around the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve. As soon as he could, Sanders put in a call to Elliott to let him know they got Neal, not knowing his best friend was dead, killed by Neal. [6] A sixth body, that of the shooter's wife 38-year-old Barbara Glisan, was later discovered under the floorboards of their home;[6][11] she is believed to have been killed the day before. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Sanders got into his sisters car and the pair rushed toward the school. [38] The two handguns that Neal possessed during his shooting rampage were not registered to him. Outside Rancho Tehama Elementary School after the shooting on Nov. 14, 2017. His neighbors had complained he had fired multiple rounds for days before this rampage that ended up at this elementary school. Other than that, we get no help from anybody. Another, to help with hospital bills for a 34-year-old Rancho Tehama father who was shot in the leg, brought in less than $5,000. As… Continue reading Kevin Janson Neal: Rancho . He was watching television, and didnt hear anything until the gunman was trying to leave. The cards are for her swift action last November. "With how violent he was and his record they should have came and made sure his guns were gone," parent Sandra Wells says, echoing criticism heard from many residents here. Johnston was one of the first on scene that day. "There's a small bundle of plastic flowers honoring the dead at the "Welcome to Rancho Tehama" sign when you enter the town. Sanders said he and Neal made eye contact, and realized they knew each other. Sarah Gonzales had just dropped off her daughter, when the gunman blocked her car. And we still have that sense of 'we can't believe this really happened. As Sanders ran toward Neal he said he could see bullets bouncing everywhere. The sound startled her, but she couldnt identify it, so she wasnt worried. They asked that the public keeps its focus on the victims. Woods Sr. doesnt like to complain. So Feitelberg and her grandson moved to a small town northeast of Springfield, Mass. that Kevin Janson Neal, a 44-year-old resident of the small community in Northern California, was the . He then drove up to the driver's side, and fired into it, injuring all of them with gunshots or flying glass. Ferreira said that about 7:57, about two minutes after the father and daughter had left the office, they heard shooting. The attack ended when the gunman, Kevin Janson Neal, took his own life. RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. (AP) A Northern California man killed two neighbors with whom he had been feuding before he went on a shooting . We're not sure how.". [11] The woman was shot five times, four near her heart. Sanders was released. Authorities said all of the adults lived in Rancho Tehama, a rural Northern California town with a population of about 1,500. "He had complaints against him and they never did anything about it except knock on his door," he says. That if some individual wants to storm some building, that I can't control that. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said that the body of Kevin Janson Neal's wife was found under the floor in their home and her murder is "what started this whole event." He is a 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature photography for images of Central Americans risking life and limb as they jump aboard the trains from southern Mexico bound for the United States and a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news photography for team coverage of hurricanes. They struck out. Neal then crashed his vehicle into a car, which killed and injured two people. [5], The killings started on the night of November 13 at Neal's home in Rancho Tehama, 6970 Bobcat Lane at Fawn Lane, when Neal shot his wife, Barbara Glisan (also spelled Gilsan) and hid her body under some floorboards. I did get some clarification on the tragedy, but not on all the victims. The GoFundMe drive established by family members of a teacher killed in May at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and her husband, who subsequently died of a heart attack, has already brought in more than $2.8 million.
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