5 Dead in Reservation Shootings: Community Praying After Shocking Killing Rampage
Five people are dead in a reservation shooting in California that has shocked local communities.
The tragic incident took place on an Indian reservation, and saw 31 year old Hector Celaya go on a shooting rampage that left a daughter, his mother, and her two brothers dead. Celaya would also later die, and his own two daughters were also injured in the shocking incident.
The incident took place on the Tule River Indian Reservation, which has a community of about 800, and ended with police cornering Celaya on a country road 30 miles from the reservation about six hours after the initial shootings, The Associated Press has reported.
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At the time he was cornered Celaya had his two daughters in the car with him; with authorities saying eight year old Alyssa had life threatening injuries at the time, and that five year old Linea was also seriously injured – both allegedly shot by their father.
The incident only ended when police opened fire on Celaya, injuring him and taking him into custody. He later died of his injuries in hospital hours later, according to AP. His daughter, Alyssa also died from her injuries.
It is still unclear why Celaya went on the shooting rampage, however, Rhoda Hunter, the tribal council secretary has told AP: "He had a real hard life. But all of us do, we all have a hard time. But we try not to let it get the best of us."
"We've had a lot of deaths here, but nothing like this. Not murder. No, not murder," Hunter said.
Police were notified of the horrific attacks at about 7.45 p.m. On Saturday.
Shelby Charley Jr., who is an engineer and supervisor has told AP, "This is a once in a lifetime kind of deal. It's one of those calls you could go your whole career and not walk into. This is one of those calls that will stick with you for the rest of your life."
Rhoda Hunter has explained that church bells rang out on the reservation on Sunday as the community prayed together. Hunter said, "This is so horrible. We will be doing a lot of praying."
