Father fatally shoots 4 people, including his 3 children, inside Sacramento church, police say
Four people were killed Monday evening when a father fatally shot three of his children and one other person at a church in Sacramento, California, local officials said. David Mora Rojas, 39, died by suicide after shooting the four others, officials said.
The victims were identified by the coroner's office on Tuesday as Samantha Mora Gutierrez, 10; Samarah Mora Gutierrez, 9; Samia Mora Gutierrez, 13; and Nathaniel Kong, 59, CBS Sacramento reported.
The shooting happened inside a church called The Church in Sacramento at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Sgt. Rod Grassman said that Kong, who was associated with the church, was chaperoning the children during a supervised visit with their father, who was the subject of a restraining order by his estranged girlfriend.
Mora was reportedly living at the church as "some sort of arrangement," Grassman said, according to CBS Sacramento. His three daughters and their mother lived elsewhere.
He was not allowed to own guns, firearms and/or ammunition, according to a restraining order filed in Sacramento County in May 2021, CBS Sacramento reported.
At the time of the killings, Mora was out on bail after being arrested in Merced County last week on charges of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and driving under the influence after he assaulted a California Highway Patrol officer, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement Monday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said, "Our thoughts are with the community, parishioners, and all those impacted by this horrific event."