4 killed by nude gunman at Nashville waffle house

NASHVILLE - A nearly nude gunman killed at least 4 people at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee early on Sunday and then fled after a patron saved lives by wrestling the assault-style rifle from his hands.

The suspected shooter, identified by authorities as Travis Reinking, 29, was still at large and murder warrants were being issued for him, the Metropolitan Nashville Police said.

Reinking, of Morton, Illinois was believed to live near the restaurant. The gunman's vehicle was registered to him and a shirtless man wearing pants believed to be Reinking was spotted in woods nearby, police said.

The gunman, who was naked but for a green jacket, first shot and killed two people in the parking lot of the restaurant in Antioch, a section of southeast Nashville, shortly before 3:30 a.m.

He then entered the restaurant and opened fire, police said, killing one patron and wounding another, who later died.

One diner, named by local media as James Shaw Jr., 29, who had hidden near the restrooms, dashed out and pulled the rifle from the gunman.

"The shots had stopped so he decided to rush the gunman, actually wrestled that assault rifle away, tossed it over the counter and, at that point, the gunman fled," said police spokesman Don Aaron.

Shaw's fast actions were credited with saving lives, but in an interview with the Tennessean newspaper he dismissed the idea that he was hero.

"It feels selfish," said Shaw, who added that he had been getting a snack with friends after a fraternity house party. "I was just trying to get myself out. I saw the opportunity and pretty much took it."

Shaw suffered non-life-threatening wounds including an injured elbow, while other patrons suffered facial wounds from shattered glass. He said he did not pursue the fleeing gunman for fear he had another weapon.

As the shooter ran off he discarded the jacket, which contained additional ammunition, according to police.

Police cautioned that the suspect was to be considered still armed and extremely dangerous.

Two people wounded in the shooting are at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. One is in critical condition and the other is in critical but stable condition, said hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Wetzel.

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Gunman kills at least 26 worshipers at small-town Texas church

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas - A gunman dressed in black tactical gear massacred at least 26 worshipers and wounded 20 others at a white-steepled church in Texas on Sunday, carrying out the latest in a series of mass shootings that have plagued the United States.

The lone suspect, also wearing a ballistic vest and carrying a Ruger assault rifle, fired into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and kept shooting after he went inside. Sutherland Springs is in Wilson County, about 40 miles (65 km) east of San Antonio.

The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old, law enforcement officials told a news conference. Among the dead was the 14-year-old daughter of Pastor Frank Pomeroy, the family told several television stations.

After the shooting, the gunman, described as a white man in his 20s, was fired on by a local resident with a rifle. The suspect dropped his assault weapon, and fled in his vehicle, said Freeman Martin, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Soon afterward, the suspect crashed his vehicle near the border of neighboring Guadalupe County and was found dead inside with a cache of weapons.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect killed himself or was hit when the resident fired at him outside the church, authorities said.

"We are dealing with the largest mass shooting in our state’s history," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at the news conference. "The tragedy of course is worsened by the fact that it occurred in a church, a place of worship where these people were innocently gunned down."

The suspect's identity was not disclosed by authorities, but law enforcement officials who asked not to be named said he was Devin Patrick Kelley, described as a white, 26-year-old man, the New York Times and other media reported.

"We don't think he had any connection to this church," Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt told CNN. "We have no motive."

'ACT OF EVIL'

Jeff Forrest, a 36-year-old military veteran who lives a block away from the church, said what sounded like high-caliber, semi-automatic gunfire triggered memories of his four combat deployments with the Marine Corps.

“I was on the porch, I heard 10 rounds go off and then my ears just started ringing,” Forrest said. “I hit the deck and I just lay there."
 
The massacre came just weeks after a sniper killed 58 people at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. The shootings have stirred a years-long national debate over whether easy access to firearms was contributing to the trend.

President Donald Trump said he was monitoring the situation while in Japan on a 12-day Asian trip.

"This act of evil occurred as the victims and their families were in their place of sacred worship," the president said. "Through the tears and through the sadness we stand strong, oh so strong."

According to the witnesses, about 20 shots rang out at 11:30 a.m. during the church services, according to media reports. It was unclear how many worshipers were inside at the time.

Connally Memorial Medical Center in Floresville received eight patients, the hospital said in a statement, while Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston received another eight.

At Connally, 3 people were treated and released, 1 is in critical condition and 4 were transferred to the University Hospital in San Antonio for a higher level of care.

The First Baptist Church is one of 2 houses of worship in Sutherland Springs, an area home to fewer than 900 residents, according to the 2010 Census. There are also 2 gas stations and a Dollar General store in town.

The white-painted, 1-story structure features a small steeple and a single front door. On Sunday, the Lone Star flag of Texas was flying alongside the US flag and a third, unidentified banner.

Inside, there is a small raised platform on which members sang worship songs to guitar music and the pastor delivered a weekly sermon, according to videos posted on YouTube. In one of the clips, a few dozen people, including young children, can be seen sitting in the wooden pews.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

While authorities provided little information about the suspect, online records show that a man named Devon Patrick Kelley lived in New Braunfels, Texas, about 35 miles (56 km) north of Sutherland Springs.

The US Air Force said Kelley served in its Logistics Readiness unit at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge.

Kelley's Facebook page has been deleted, but cached photos show a profile picture where he appeared with 2 small children. He also posted a photo of what appeared to be an assault rifle, writing a post that read: "she's a bad bitch."

The shooting occurred on the eighth anniversary of the Nov. 5, 2009, massacre of 13 people at the Fort Hood Army base in central Texas. A US Army Medical Corps psychiatrist convicted of the killings is now awaiting execution.

In 2015, a white gunman killed 9 black parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The gunman was sentenced to death for the racially motivated attack.

In September, a gunman killed a woman in the parking lot of a Tennessee church on Sunday morning and wounded 6 worshipers inside the building before shooting himself in a scuffle with an usher who rushed to stop the attack.

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Trump condemns 'horrific shooting', says 'our hearts are broken'

TOKYO - US President Donald Trump on Monday condemned what he described as a "horrific shooting," after 26 people were killed in a rampage at a Texas church.

"This act of evil occurred as the victims and their families were in their place of worship. Our hearts are broken," Trump said on a visit to Japan.

"We pull together, we join arms ... through the tears and the sadness we stand strong," added the president, addressing business leaders on day two of his Asian trip.

A gunman stormed into a Baptist church during Sunday morning services and killed at least 26 people.

The shooter, whose motives were not immediately clear, was dressed all in black and wearing a ballistic vest, authorities said.

Though officials did not identify the gunman, multiple media outlets named him as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, adding that he had been dishonorably discharged from the Air Force.

He also died in the assault.

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25 wounded, 3 trampled during US nightclub shooting

MIAMI -- Twenty-five people were wounded, two of whom were in critical condition, during a nightclub shooting early Saturday in the southern US state of Arkansas, officials said.

Authorities said three more people were injured by stampeding patrons fleeing the shooting.

The mayor of Little Rock said all of the victims are expected to survive after gunfire broke out inside the downtown Power Ultra Lounge nightclub around 2:30 a.m.

"I want to reassure our public that this was not an act of terrorism but a tragedy... It does not appear to be a planned shooting," Mayor Mark Stodola told a press conference.

A disagreement involving a small number of patrons at the club quickly escalated because of "the presence of rivalries and weapons," Stodola said.

Authorities did not immediately release any names or information on a suspect or suspects.

However, Police Chief Kenton Buckner said some members with the headliner group, including one with a gun, had been stopped by police after trying to enter the nightclub. They appear to have gained access to the club later through a different entry way.

Buckner said the victims ranged in age from 16 to 35, with two in critical condition.

"We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone in the general public is at harm of any incident," he added.

Authorities are investigating whether a longstanding rivalry between feuding gangs was to blame for the violence, and said they have closed down the club in the wake of the shootings.

"I think when you have a concert venue where you have young people and force these two cities into a small room and some kind of dispute ensues, it was a recipe for disaster," Stodola said.

"Little Rock's crime problem appears to be intensifying," Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said in a statement, decrying "this senseless violent tragedy."

He promised state resources to help "support local law enforcement efforts."

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the US Marshalls were working on the case, Stodola said.

The mayor thanked first responders and hospitals on Facebook.

"My heart is broken this morning -- my prayers are with the victims of this tragedy," he said.

"We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. And government can do something to help us with that," he said during the press conference, expressing outrage that promotional material featuring a firearm had been used to advertise the event.

According to the nightclub website, an artist by the name of Finese 2 Tymes was scheduled to perform.

Police had initially had said that 17 people were shot, before updating the toll later Saturday.

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4 killed, including gunman, in San Francisco UPS facility shooting

SAN FRANCISCO - A man dressed in a UPS uniform and armed with an "assault pistol" opened fire at a United Parcel Service Inc package sorting hub in San Francisco, killing three people before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Police did not identify the suspect or say if he was a UPS employee. They told a news conference the incident was not terrorism-related and they recovered two firearms from the scene.

Two other people were shot and have been taken to an area hospital, police said.

The shooter and the victims were all drivers, said Steve Gaut, head of investor relations at UPS. The incident took place while the workers were gathered for their daily morning meeting before going out on their routes, he added.

Gaut said the facility’s employees have been released from work and he believes most have left the building. The company is providing trauma and grief counseling to employees.

Live video showed a massive police presence near the facility, with workers being led out and embracing each other on the sidewalk outside.

"The company is saddened and deeply concerned about affected employees, family members and the community we share. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those touched by this incident," UPS said in a statement.

Victims were taken to the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, spokesman Brent Andrew said. He said he could not say how many patients were taken to the hospital or give their conditions.

In 2014, a man shot and killed two of his supervisors before turning the gun on himself at a UPS distribution center in Birmingham, Alabama. The gunman had recently been fired from the facility.

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Gunman targeting white men kills three in Fresno, California

A gunman who went by the nickname Black Jesus killed three white men in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, and fired at another before he was taken into custody while shouting "Allahu Akhbar," police said.

The suspect, 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting last week of an unarmed security guard at a Motel 6 in Fresno, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters at a press conference.

Dyer said Muhammad fired at least 16 rounds from a large-caliber handgun in less than a minute at four downtown Fresno locations at about 10:45 a.m. local time before he was spotted running through the streets by a police officer.

"Immediately upon the individual seeing the officer he literally dove onto the ground and was taken into custody and as he was taken into custody he yelled out 'Allahu Akhbar,'" Dyer said. The term means "God is great" in Arabic.

"He does not like white people," Dyer said, citing the suspect's statements after being arrested and his Facebook postings. The chief said Muhammad, who is African American, used the nickname Black Jesus.

All four of the men killed on Tuesday were white, as was the security guard and the other man Mohammad shot at but missed.

Dyer said it was too early to rule out terrorism and that his department had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate, but portrayed the incident as "a random act of violence."

"These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got," he said. "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual who was intent on carrying out homicides today, and he did that."

Dyer said Muhammad had been identified quickly as the prime suspect in the Motel 6 shooting on April 13 and that police had been urgently seeking him across the Fresno area since then.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California's central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Muhammad has a criminal history that includes weapons and drug charges and had spent time in state prison, Dyer said.

County government buildings were placed on lockdown during the shooting spree and residents were urged to shelter in place.

Local television images showed what appeared to be a body covered in a yellow tarp in a street near where police tape marked off several crime scenes.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Steve Gorman; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Gunfire in crowded Ohio nightclub kills one, wounds 15

CINCINNATI - Gunfire erupted inside a packed nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio, early Sunday morning, killing one person and injuring 15 others, as an apparent argument that may have started earlier in the day turned violent, authorities said.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said there was no evidence of "a terrorist attack," as with last year's Pulse nightclub slaughter in Orlando, Florida that killed 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

"However to the victims, what difference does it make?" Cranley said. "People were just going to have a good time and ended up getting shot."

No arrests had been made hours after the shooting took place around 1 a.m. EDT as hundreds of people partied inside Cameo Nightlife. The club has a history of gun violence, including two shootings in 2015, City Manager Harry Black said in a statement.

Authorities believe multiple gunmen were involved in the Sunday morning shooting, which grew out of "some kind of dispute" inside the bar, Police Chief Eliot Isaac said.

The disagreement may have been started earlier in the day, Black said.

"At this point it's unclear exactly what instigated the shooting," police Captain Kimberly Williams said at a televised briefing. "Just a lot of chaos when the shots went off."

Four police officers, who were providing security in the parking lot when the shots rang out, ran into the club and treated victims, the chief said. In addition to those hit by gunfire, several people sustained minor injuries attempting to flee.

Police did not have a good description of the suspects, in part because witnesses were reluctant to cooperate, Williams told WCPO television.

The man who was killed was identified by authorities as 27-year-old O'Bryan Spikes. Two of the injured were in critical condition, a University of Cincinnati Medical Center spokeswoman said. The others hit by gunfire were in stable condition in other area hospitals, and some were treated and released.

Ohio Governor John Kasich sent his condolences and offered state help in the case.

"Saddened to learn about last night's shooting in Cincinnati," Kasich said on Twitter. "Our prayers are with the victims and families of all of those involved."

Cameo Nightlife's Facebook page says it features "College Friday's" for students 18 and older and "Saturday's 21+ grown and sexy night."

The club, a large single-story structure, is a 7-mile (11 km) drive from downtown Cincinnati near the southeast corner of the city, the heart of the second largest metropolitan area in Ohio with more than 2 million residents.

(Additional reporting by Melissa Fares and Barbara Goldberg in New York; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Andrew Bolton and Jeffrey Benkoe)

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US jury condemns Charleston church shooter to death

CHARLESTON - A US jury on Tuesday condemned self-described white supremacist Dylann Roof to death over the massacre of nine black worshippers in a South Carolina church in June 2015 -- a crime that shocked the nation.

Roof, 22, was convicted last month of 33 federal charges -- including hate crimes resulting in death -- in connection with the shooting spree at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston.

A Bible study group at "Mother Emanuel," which had welcomed Roof, was just beginning its closing prayer when the self-avowed Nazi and Ku Klux Klan sympathizer opened fire, killing nine people ranging in age from 26 to 87.

The slayings once again exposed the deep divides in America over race and access to guns.

Roof showed little reaction to the decision, delivered just hours after the 12-member jury retired to deliberate, though he occasionally seemed to be slightly smiling.

Federal judge Richard Gergel will formally deliver Roof's sentence on Wednesday morning at the Charleston courthouse. The verdict unanimously reached by the jury is binding.

"I still feel like I had to do it," Roof told jurors earlier in a semi-coherent closing argument.

Roof represented himself in the sentencing phase of the trial, against the advice of his lawyers and the judge. He called no witnesses and offered no evidence for the jury to consider.

After the jury offered its sentencing verdict, Roof asked for new attorneys so he could move for a retrial, but Gergel told him to provide specific reasons for his request on Wednesday.

Relatives of the victims will be invited to speak at Wednesday's hearing.

'NOT ONE TEAR'

Earlier, prosecutor Jay Richardson urged jurors to sentence Roof to death for "this cold, calculated, malicious killing."

"Not one tear did he shed for those that he killed," he said. "Unrepentant. No remorse."

Richardson noted Roof only expressed sorrow that he put his parents through an emotional trial during which his mother suffered a heart attack after a survivor's gripping testimony.

"He had sorrow for them. He had pity for himself. That he had lost his freedom. His ability to watch movies and drive a car," he said.

"But his sadness was reserved for the little white children that have to live with African Americans."

During the first phase of the trial, Roof exhibited no signs of remorse as survivors recounted the rampage in heart-rending detail.

A video of Roof's chilling confession was shown to the jury.

"Somebody had to do something because black people are killing white people every day," Roof said without emotion to the FBI special agent questioning him. "They rape 100 white people a day."

In notes confiscated from Roof in prison in August 2015, he wrote that he was "not sorry."

"I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed," the notes said.

Roof's lawyers had suggested their client was not mentally fit, but Gergel found Roof competent to stand trial -- twice.

His family said in a statement posted in US media Tuesday that they would "continue to pray for the Emanuel AME families and the Charleston community."

"We will struggle as long as we live to understand why he committed this horrible attack, which caused so much pain to so many good people," the statement said.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who is herself black, said in a statement that "we hope that the completion of the prosecution provides the people of Charleston -- and the people of our nation -- with a measure of closure."

Tim Scott, one of South Carolina's two senators, added that "nineteen months ago, a heartless murderer attempted to start a race war."

"Today that man was rightly sentenced to death," said Scott, who is black.

Capital punishment is only rarely meted out in federal cases, in part because violent crimes more typically are tried under state laws.

Federal authorities have executed only three inmates since 1976.

Roof is also facing state murder charges in South Carolina, and prosecutors were planning to seek the death penalty, but those proceedings were indefinitely put on hold last week.

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2 teenagers killed, 18 hurt in Florida shooting

FORT MYERS - A shooting outside a party at a Florida nightclub that left two male teenagers dead and as many as 18 other people wounded early on Monday was not an act of terror, police in Fort Myers said.

The latest burst of gun violence to wrack the state this summer occurred just after 12:30 a.m. EDT (0430 GMT) in the parking lot of Club Blu, which was hosting an event open to teenagers, the Fort Myers Police Department said in a statement.

Police said Stef'An Strawder, an 18-year-old basketball star at a local high school, and Sean Archilles, 14, were killed. Two other people have potentially life-threatening injuries, local hospital officials said.

Although police said they did not know the motive for the shooting, they confirmed in a statement that "this incident is not an act of terror (as it has been referred) or terrorism."

Police said three people had been detained for questioning and that the area around the club was deemed safe, although roads in the vicinity remained closed.

Hospitals affiliated with the Lee Memorial Health System received 19 patients ranging in ages from 12 to 27 years from the nightclub shooting. Lisa Sgarlata, chief administrative officer for Lee Memorial Hospital, said an additional victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four patients remain hospitalized at Lee Memorial Hospital. Two have potentially life-threatening injuries and are in a surgical intensive care unit, Dr. Drew Mikulaschek told reporters at a news conference.

The shooting came six weeks after a massacre at a nightclub in the Florida city of Orlando, where a lone gunman who sympathized with Islamist extremist groups killed 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Club Blu, located about 150 miles southwest of Orlando in the Gulf Coast city of Fort Myers, was hosting a "swimsuit glow party" for people all ages, according to a flyer posted on Twitter by local television station WINK. To enter, patrons were not required to show proof that they were the legal age to drink alcoholic beverages.

The nightclub said on its Facebook page that the shooting occurred when the venue was closing and parents were picking up their children.

"We tried to give the teens what we thought was a safe place to have a good time," the statement said, pointing out that armed security guards were posted inside and outside the club. "It was not kids at the party that did this despicable act."

In a video interview with local media, Syreeta Gary said her daughter and a friend ran for cover from the gunshots, seeking safety at a nearby apartment complex.

"Dodging bullets and running, dropping between cars, it's ridiculous that these kids have to go through this," Gary said in an interview posted on Twitter by a reporter for Fort Myers Fox affiliate WFTX. "They can't enjoy themselves."

Her daughter got out unscathed, but a bullet struck a friend in the leg, Gary said.

The teens who died both attended schools in Lee County, district spokeswoman Lauren Stillwell said. Archilles was due to enter the eighth grade at Royal Palm Exceptional Center, while Strawder was to start his senior year at Lehigh Senior High School.

Strawder's mother, Stephanie White, told the News-Press newspaper that her son was shot in his right shoulder as he walked out of the club. His 19-year-old sister survived a gunshot wound in the leg, White said.

Police said shots were also fired at a nearby residence, where there was one minor injury.

Fort Myers police and the Lee County's Sheriff's Office were canvassing the area for other people who may have been involved, a police statement said.

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Scores killed, injured in shooting rampage at Florida gay club

ORLANDO -- A gunman shot dead about 20 people and injured 42 others in a crowded gay nightclub in Florida early on Sunday before being killed by police in what U.S. authorities described as a "domestic terrorism incident."

A police officer working as a security guard inside the Pulse club exchanged fire with the suspect at about 2 a.m., police officials said. A hostage situation quickly developed before a squad of officers entered the club and shot dead the gunman. It was unclear when the victims were shot by the gunman.

"At ... 0500 hours this morning, the decision was made to rescue hostages that were in there. Our officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The suspect is dead," Orlando police chief John Mina told a press conference.

At least one officer was injured in the gun battle but the police action saved at least 30 lives, Mina said.

The suspect was carrying an assault-type rifle and a handgun as well as an unidentified "device" on him, Mina said.

Police did not immediately name the gunman or provide a possible motive for the attack but officials have classified the rampage as a "domestic terrorism incident," Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

Javer Antonetti, 53, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper that he was near the back of the dance club when he heard gunfire. "There were so many (shots), at least 40," he said. "I saw two guys and it was constant, like 'pow, pow, pow.'"

Police said they had carried out a "controlled explosion" at the club hours after the shooting broke out, but did not explain why that was done.

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All 14 victims of California shooting named

LOS ANGELES, United States - Six women and eight men were the victims of the mass shooting in California, US authorities said Thursday, releasing the names of all 14 of the dead.

The youngest victim of the carnage carried out Wednesday by a husband and wife in the city of San Bernardino was 26 and the oldest was 60.

"This shooting has caused each victim's family, friends and co-workers, along with the first responders, to suffer an enormous personal tragedy," said San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon in a statement.

"We must stand strong and offer support to each individual affected by this senseless attack."

The victims were identified as:

Shannon Johnson, 45
Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46
Aurora Godoy, 26
Isaac Amanios, 60
Larry Kaufman, 42
Harry Bowman, 46
Yvette Velasco, 27
Robert Adams, 40
Sierra Clayborn, 27
Nicholas Thalasinos, 52
Tin Nguyen, 31
Juan Espinoza, 50
Damian Meins, 58
Michael Wetzel, 37

They died when Syed Farook, 28, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, burst into a social services center hosting a holiday party and sprayed the room with bullets.

Farook had attended the party but had apparently left following a dispute, only to return heavily armed with his wife.

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3 killed, 7 injured in Louisiana theater shooting: police

WASHINGTON, United States - A gunman opened fire in a movie theater in the US state of Louisiana on Thursday, shooting dead two people before killing himself, police said.

Seven other people were shot by the gunman, police said, describing the shooter as a "white male in his 50s". Local police said in press conference the shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted wound.

The shooting took place at the Grand 16 theater in the city of Lafayette during a showing of the film "Trainwreck," local media reported.

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Sailor's death lifts toll in Chattanooga shooting rampage

CHATTANOOGA -- The death toll in the mass shooting of US military personnel in Tennessee rose to five Saturday as investigators pursued the motive behind the rampage.

In a brief statement, the US Navy said a petty officer succumbed overnight to wounds he sustained in Thursday's attack on two military centers in Chattanooga.

The Navy did not identify the sailor, but relatives named him as Petty Officer Randall Smith, a father of three daughters who had recently re-enlisted and transferred to Chattanooga.

"It's hard to understand how somebody can hurt somebody that's serving for you, for your freedom, for your safety," his step-grandmother Darlene Proxmire told WANE television in Indiana.

Four Marines also died in the attack -- which authorities are treating as "an act of terrorism" -- before the gunman, Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez died in a shootout with police.

The FBI has asked foreign intelligence agencies to help trace Abdulazeez's movements and activities abroad, and analysts are monitoring his activity on social media.

The 24-year-old was a naturalized US citizen born in Kuwait.

"Every one of our resources are being devoted to this investigation," Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke told CNN.

But the FBI warned against jumping to conclusions, after Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, branded the assault "an ISIS-inspired attack."

"At this time, we have no indication that he was inspired by or directed by anyone other than himself," FBI special agent Ed Reinhold said, referring to Abdulazeez.

"We obviously want to know what his thoughts were and who else he was associating with."

The shooting has jarred the city of 168,000, where the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga condemned the attack and cancelled its end-of-Ramadan Eid al-Fitr celebrations out of respect for the victims.

- Troubled past? -

Going into the weekend, more details about Abdulazeez -- a University of Tennessee engineering graduate and mixed martial arts enthusiast who grew up in a middle-class neighborhood -- slowly emerged.

Investigators were looking at Abdulazeez's foreign travel, with a reported trip to Jordan last year of particular interest.

There was evidence, however, that he came from a troubled family. Divorce papers filed by his mother alleged that his father beat his wife and five children.

The father was also reportedly investigated for ties to a terrorist group, but ultimately was cleared.

Abdulazeez's only known brush with the law was in April, when he was arrested for driving under the influence.

He briefly worked at a nuclear power plant in Ohio in May 2013, but was fired after failing to meet minimum employment requirements, a spokeswoman for Perry Nuclear Power Plant operator FirstEnergy said.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has asked for recommendations on how to boost security for troops and civilians at military installations.

But state governors in Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas signed executive orders that would allow US military personnel to carry firearms at recruiting centers.

Such facilities are often located in shopping malls, with no special security measures and recruiting staff inside unarmed.

"After the recent shooting in Chattanooga, it has become clear that our military personnel must have the ability to defend themselves against these type of attacks on our own soil," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

Republican presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush, Donald Trump and Scott Walker called for the lifting of a prohibition on military personnel carrying firearms at recruiting venues.

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Four Marines killed in US shooting rampage, gunman dead

CHATTANOOGA, United States – A 24-year-old gunman opened fire at two US military centers in Tennessee on Thursday, killing four Marines in a rampage that officials said was being investigated as an act of "domestic terrorism."

The shooter -- identified by the FBI as 24-year-old Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez -- was himself shot dead in a firefight with police. Three people were injured -- a police officer, a Marine Corps recruiter and a Navy sailor.

The incident served as an ugly reminder of other deadly shootings at US military installations, including a 2009 rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and a 2013 attack at the Navy Yard in Washington that left 12 dead.

It also came amid lingering fears about the threat posed by "lone wolf" attackers in the United States, though the motive in Thursday's attacks was not immediately clear.

President Barack Obama called the shootings "heartbreaking" and asked Americans to pray for the relatives of the victims.

"It is incomprehensible to see what happened and the way that individuals who proudly serve our country were treated," Chattanooga mayor Andy Berke said, praising the quick response by law enforcement to prevent further loss of life.

"Today is a nightmare for the city of Chattanooga."

Bill Killian, the US federal prosecutor in that part of Tennessee, said the shootings were being treated as an "act of domestic terrorism."

"We are looking at every possible avenue -- whether it was terrorism, whether it was domestic, international or whether it was a simple criminal act," FBI special agent Ed Reinhold said.

The FBI said later that it was "premature to speculate on the motives of the shooter at this time."

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the FBI would take the lead in the "national security investigation of this heinous attack on members of our military."

'Average Chattanooga family'

Abdulazeez, a Muslim, lived in a leafy suburb of Chattanooga. US media reported that he was a naturalized US citizen born in Kuwait.

He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in engineering.

"Sadly, it appears that the shooter was a 2012 graduate from UTC. Our thoughts are with those affected by today's tragedy," the university said on Twitter

A woman who attended Red Bank High School with Abdulazeez said he was a quiet kid, and well-liked.

"He was friendly, funny, kind," Kagan Wagner told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "I never would have thought it would be him."

"They were your average Chattanooga family," Wagner said.

Scott Schrader, who coached Abdulazeez in mixed martial arts, told CNN he "seemed like the all-American kid."

In an apparent blog post written Monday, he said Muslims should not let "the opportunity to submit to allah... pass you by," according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity on social media.

Berke told CNN there had not been "any indication" that an attack was imminent.

Two targets

The Marine Corps confirmed that all four victims were killed at a Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in the late morning. About 40 minutes earlier, the gunman had opened fire at a recruitment center several miles away.

Berke said officers had described to him a "harrowing and violent scene -- bullets whizzing around them."

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus offered their condolences to the families of the victims, with Mabus calling the attacks "both devastating and senseless."

The Department of Homeland Security said it had ordered security be stepped up at "certain federal facilities, out of an abundance of caution."

'All shook up'

Erica Wright said she witnessed the shooting at the recruiting center through the window of a hair salon two doors down.

"We heard one pop, really loud pop. So we went to the door to see what it was," Wright told CNN. "We saw a guy in a silver Mustang just unloading on the naval recruiting place."

Wright said she watched in horror as the man reloaded his gun and opened fire again. He then backed up his car, pulled up to another part of the recruiting center and started shooting again.

"We're all shook up," she said. "Never expected something like this."

Bullet holes could be seen in the windows of the recruiting center and shell casings littered the parking lot.

Senator Bob Corker, a former mayor of Chattanooga, said he was "heartbroken."

"This is a difficult day for Tennesseans and our thoughts and prayers are with all affected by this tragedy," he said in a statement.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com