Police identify gunman in LA freeway shooting spree


Investigators stand next to a tarp covered body in Orange, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Police say a chaotic 25-minute shooting spree through Orange County left a trail of dead and injured victims before the shooter killed himself.


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AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

(CBS/AP) TUSTIN, Calif. - Southern California law enforcement authorities have identified the gunman in an unexplained shooting rampage as a 20-year-old unemployed part-time student named Ali Syed.

Tustin police Chief Scott Jordan says Syed lived at the Ladera Ranch residence where the first victim was slain.

Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino says that victim is a young woman in her 20s who has not been identified and is not related to the shooter.

The rampage early Tuesday left several wounded and four dead, including the shooter who killed himself.

Police say after killing the first victim in Ladera Ranch, the gunman headed north and within 30 minutes carjacked a Dodge pickup truck in Tustin, about 20 miles away. The driver was uninjured, but a bystander was hit by gunfire and taken to a hospital.

Tustin police Chief Scott Jordan said Syed stated to one carjacking victim: "I don't want to hurt you. I killed somebody. Today is my last day."

The suspect then began firing at vehicles in the area where Interstate 5 and State Route 55 connect.

Three people reported being targeted, including one who suffered a minor injury, Tustin police Lt. Paul Garaven said. Two cars were damaged.

When the truck he was driving got low on gas, the gunman stopped at State Route 55 and McFadden Avenue in Santa Ana, stole a BMW and killed the driver, Bertagna said.

The shooter then drove to a Tustin business called Micro Center and carjacked another small truck, killing one person and wounding another, Garaven said.

Officers trailed the gunman to Orange, a city about five miles away.

As they closed in, Syed got out of the vehicle at a busy intersection and shot himself, police said.

A shotgun was recovered at the scene.

More on Crimesider
February 19, 2013 - Los Angeles Freeway Shooting Update: Police say four dead including gunman after shooting spree
February 19, 2013 - Los Angeles Freeway Shooting: At least 3 dead, others wounded in shooting spree, police say


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