Suspect in Banning rampage that left 2 dead, 3 injured identified

A few minutes later, Beaumont police got a call about a man knocking on doors in the 700 block of American Street, authorities said.

There, police say, someone in a white SUV shot at a passing vehicle, killing the driver and wounding a passenger.

“I have never seen anything like this and I have to tell you, it was pretty scary”, said Michael Pelegrin, a clerk at the am/pm at 780 E. Ramsey St., who tried to help someone who may have been among the first victims of the gunman.

At around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Diaz allegedly shot and killed a man in the vicinity of the 700 block of East John Street, according to Banning Police. CBS2’s Laurie Perez was at that news conference where police said they were dealing “with 4-5 different crime scenes”.

Ten minutes later, another call came in reporting car-to-car shots near Nicolet Middle School att the intersection of San Gorgonio Avenue and Nicolet Street.

Oscar Reza said he was discussing the rash of shootings with a store clerk at the convenience store when a man with a gun under his shirt began threatening him and others. “I could tell it had been a shooting because there were bullet holes in the window and she had blood on her face from the shattered glass”.

The white SUV driven by the suspect in a series of deadly shootings Saturday in Banning, CA, is loaded onto a wrecker. The medical examiner has not determined how the man died, the chief said. Shortly after noon, Banning police responded to the 200 block of East Lincoln Street after a person spotted a vehicle crashed into a city facility wall. Officers located Diaz in his vehicle and conducted a felony traffic stop, and he was taken into custody. He reportedly told people that he was looking for his own children, Beaumont police Chief Sean Thuilliez said. The ID of the other victim is being withheld pending notification of family.

With help from witnesses, the California Highway Patrol, Beaumont police and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies searched for the man, which led to his arrest in Beaumont.

Asked about a possible motive, Diaz said Sunday that there was no immediate answer to that question but he would provide any information he receives to the community as soon as possible.

None of the victims of the attack were known to or related to the suspect.