jinga80/iStock/Thinkstock(FRESNO, Ca.) — The suspect behind a shooting rampage that killed three people in just minutes in Fresno, California Tuesday has been charged with murder from a previous killing.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office charged Kori Ali Muhammad in last week’s murder of 25-year-old Carl Williams, a security guard at a local Motel 6. Muhammad told investigators that he shot Williams because he disrespected him, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Wednesday. He is also charged with attempted murder for shooting at a second security guard.
Muhammad — born Kori McDonald — will be arraigned Friday morning on that murder charge. The district attorney has not yet submitted its case on this week’s shooting spree.
Police said Muhammad was inspired to carry out the “hate crime” shooting after learning on a local news report that he was the suspect of the Motel 6 murder.
Muhammad told police that he is Muslim but had’t been to a mosque in 20 years and prays to numerous gods and practices voodoo rituals.
On Tuesday morning, he had gone to buy items to practice voodoo but stopped at a Starbucks instead, where he used the wi-fi to watch a news broadcast from ABC Fresno station KFSN, which identified him as the suspect in Williams’ murder.
He then decided to kill as many white males as possible, Dyer said, adding that he Muhammad told investigators that he does not like white men. Muhammad has also written anti-government sentiments on social media as well as posts saying that he does not like white people, the police chief said.
Muhammad fired 17 shots in about three minutes, killing three people. He also fired at two women inside of a car and at a group of men at a bus stop.
Muhammad was arrested shortly after the shooting and has since given detectives several hours of interviews describing his actions, laughing while he made the descriptions, Dyer said.
Dyer said that officers witnessed Muhammad yell “Allahu akbar” at the scene of the shooting. Dyer described Muhammad as a “racist” rather than a terrorist.
The shooting was labeled by police as a hate crime. It is unclear if Muhammad has retained an attorney.
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