Terrorism Has No Religion: “Gunman” Shot Five Uniformed National Guard Members

CARSON CITY, Nevada — A man armed with an AK-47 assault rifle shot five uniformed National Guard members eating breakfast at a restaurant in Nevada’s capital on Tuesday, killing three of them and another person in a hail of gunfire, authorities and witnesses said.

The suspect, who police say acted alone, also shot himself and later died at a hospital. He was identified as 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion of Carson City, Sheriff Kenny Furlong said.

Eight other people were wounded in the attack. One of the Guard members killed was a man; the other was a woman, authorities said. A second female Guard member died after surgery at an area hospital, Furlong confirmed in a media release late Tuesday night. Two other Guard members were at local hospitals, NBC News reported.

The motive for the shootings remains unclear.

Suspect Eduardo Sencion in his driver’s license photograph.

Sencion worked at a family business in nearby South Lake Tahoe, Calif., and had no known affiliations with anyone at the restaurant, Furlong said.

Sencion’s family had raised concerns about his mental health in interviews with investigators, Furlong said. He did not elaborate.

Nevada National Guard spokeswoman April Conway said there’s no indication the shooter had any connection with the Guard. The restaurant is about four miles from the Guard’s headquarters complex.

Witnesses said the gunman pulled up in a blue minivan around 9 a.m. and shot a man on a motorcycle, then walked inside the restaurant and started shooting. He then walked outside and fired shots at a barbecue restaurant and an H&R Block in the strip mall, and a casino across the street.

Cathleen Allison  /  AP

“I don’t know what’s happening to my city,” Fran Hunter, who works at a Sierra Le Bone, a pet shop just north of the IHOP, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. “This happens in L.A. or Las Vegas but not here.”

Police were interviewing more than 100 witnesses to the shooting, KRNV TV reported.

Furlong said police were trying to determine whether the rifle involved in the shooting is automatic or semi-automatic.

Officers received a call about the gunfire and responded within minutes, Furlong said. He said the suspect was wounded and lying in the parking lot when they arrived at the scene.

Furlong added the person who was shot on the motorcycle also was alive when officers arrived, and was transported to a hospital.

The state Capitol and Supreme Court buildings were locked down for about 40 minutes, and extra security measures were put in place at state and military buildings in northern Nevada following the shooting.   to read the entire article visit msnbc.