Four killed in tribal council shooting

Four people were killed and two others critically wounded when a woman opened fire at a Native American tribal office near the Oregon border in Northern California on Thursday, police said.

A 44-year-old former tribal leader identified as Sherie Lash, also known as Sherie Rhoades, was arrested at the Cedarville Rancheria Tribal Office on charges of murder and attempted murder, a spokeswoman for the Alturas police department said.

Among the victims were Lash's brother, niece and nephew, police said.

Police had earlier confirmed that two women, aged 19 and 45, and two men, aged 30 and 50, died, authorities said. One of the dead men was a tribal leader.

Police said tribal members were meeting about evicting Lash and her son from her home at the Rancheria which, according to its website, is a federally recognized tribe with 35 members in remote, northeastern California.

Lash pulled a gun and began “systematically shooting individuals” in the office, Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said. Four were killed and two others were shot as they tried to escape.

“This is like nothing I have had to deal with in my 25 years of being with the city of Alturas,” Barnes said. “It's just tragic.”

The two victims who survived the attack, which took place at about 3:30 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, were airlifted to hospitals in critical condition.

One victim, who had been shot at least four or five times and possibly stabbed, was out of surgery and in an intensive care unit, Barnes said. The other victim, who was shot once, was recovering after surgery.

Lash, of Cedarville, California, was being held at the Modoc County Jail on charges of homicide, attempted murder, child endangerment and brandishing a weapon. She would be moved to an undisclosed facility, for her safety, Barnes said.

After apparently running out of bullets, Lash picked up a large kitchen knife and chased one of the victims who had been shot and fled the building, said Barnes.

Eventually, an uninjured employee was able to detain the attacker in the parking lot area, he added.

Police found two semi-automatic handguns at the scene, Barnes said.

Wire services