Kori Ali Muhammad told his family there was a war going on between blacks and whites in America.

On social media, he referred to white people as “devils.” Earlier in the year, he released a rap album replete with violent, explicit, racially-charged lyrics, including referring to himself in one song as a “black soldier.”

On Tuesday morning, police say Muhammad stalked the streets of downtown Fresno, fatally shooting three white men with a .357 revolver. Before surrendering to police, he allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar” and expressed hatred toward white people and the government, according to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

Local authorities said they don’t believe the attack was an act of terrorism but are investigating it as a hate crime.

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‘Filled with hate, filled with anger': Anatomy of a shooting allegedly fueled by racial animus »

“If in fact he’s lashing out at white people — white males in this case — that would constitute a hate crime,” Dyer said. “We believe it is a hate crime, definitely a hate crime.”

The chief said investigators don’t believe Muhammad worked with anyone else in the attack, calling him “an individual that is filled with hate, filled with anger.”

The attack occurred over less than two minutes with Muhammad firing a total of 16 shots. Dyer said he surrendered to a responding officer without incident and later apologized to the chief.

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In addition to Tuesday’s killings, police said Muhammad was suspected in the fatal shooting of a security guard, also a white man, last week.

Muhammad’s father, Vincent Taylor, told The Times on Tuesday that his son believed that he was part of an ongoing war between whites and blacks, and that “a battle was about to take place.”

1 / 12 Police Chief Jerry Dyer glances over at a photo of victim Zackary Randalls during a news conference at the Fresno Police Department on April 19. (Craig Kohlruss / Fresno Bee ) 2 / 12 Va’Ron Mitchell, left, 10, his aunt Deshunna Ricks, and his cousin A’Marian Trujillo, 13, all of Fresno, hold candles with community members and faith leaders from On Ramps Covenant Church during a prayer and vigil in the alley behind the Catholic Charities’ Fresno Family Resource Center to honor the shooting victims. (Silvia Flores / Fresno Bee) 3 / 12 Rabbi Laura Novak Winer, of Temple Beth Israel, speaks out against violence and asks the people of Fresno to educate themselves about Islam at a gathering of faith leaders in response to the shooting. (Silvia Flores / Fresno Bee) 4 / 12 Community members and faith leaders from On Ramps Covenant Church hold hands during a prayer and vigil in the alley behind the Catholic Charities’ Fresno Family Resource Center to honor the shooting victims. (Silvia Flores / Fresno Bee ) 5 / 12 Carl Allen Williams III, who police believe was shot and killed by the Fresno gunman five days before his attack that killed three others. (Fresno Police Department) 6 / 12 Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer reviews notes on a triple fatal shooting before addressing the media in Fresno. (John Walker / Fresno Bee) 7 / 12 Fresno police stand by on closed Fulton Street at the scene of Tuesday’s triple shooting. (John Walker / Fresno Bee) 8 / 12 This undated photo provided by the Fresno Police Department shows Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, who was arrested shortly after a shooting outside a Catholic Charities building in Fresno. (Fresno Police Department) 9 / 12 Police walk near the scene of a fatal attack in downtown Fresno on Tuesday. A man shot and killed three people before surrendering to authorities, the Fresno Police Department said. (John Walker / Fresno Bee) 10 / 12 A shooting victim is covered on a Fresno sidewalk as evacuated office workers stand nearby. (John Walker / Fresno Bee) 11 / 12 A street is blocked off in Fresno after a gunman shot and killed three people. (Scott Smith / Associated Press) 12 / 12 Local Photo gallery End slide ()

The attack began at around 10:45 a.m. in the 300 block of North Van Ness Avenue. Within a few seconds, a second burst of gunfire was heard, then a third and a fourth. Sixteen rounds were fired in four locations, Dyer said.

Who is Kori Ali Muhammad? »

After the shots were heard, Dyer said the driver of a PG&E truck arrived at the city’s police headquarters to report that a passenger had been shot by a gunman who had approached them on foot.

After mortally wounding the truck passenger, Muhammad walked west on East Mildreda Avenue, where he came across a resident and opened fire but missed his target, Dyer said.

Muhammad continued walking on Mildreda and approached Fulton Street, where he fatally shot a second man before reloading his weapon, Dyer said.

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He then headed toward Catholic Charities in the 100 block of North Fulton Street and fired another fatal volley of gunfire, killing a man in the parking lot.

An officer in the area spotted the gunman running south on Fulton. He then “dove onto the ground” and was taken into custody, the chief said.

“As he was taken into custody, he yelled out, ‘Allahu akbar,’ ” Dyer said.

“Allahu akbar” roughly translates to “God is great” in Arabic and is a common positive refrain uttered by Muslims in prayer or in celebration. But the phrase has also been linked to terrorist attacks. The gunman who killed 13 people in a terror attack at Fort Hood, Texas, screamed “Allahu akbar” as he opened fire in 2009, and the phrase is often tweeted by social media accounts sympathetic to Islamic State and other terror groups.

A look at shooting suspect Kori Ali Muhammad »

The victims in Tuesday’s attack were not immediately identified. In a statement released last week, Fresno police identified the security guard slain Thursday as Carl Williams. The unarmed 25-year-old was shot outside a Motel 6 on North Blackstone Avenue.

Muhammad had cut off his braids and shaved his face, significantly changing his appearance, after Fresno police put out a news release about that killing.

After learning of that media release, Muhammad “made a decision to himself that he was not going to go to jail for shooting a security guard — that he was going to kill as many people as he could today, and that’s what he set out to do,” Dyer said.

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The gunman did not make any references to race during last week’s attack, according to Dyer, who said investigators will need time to determine the exact motive in the shootings.

“There was no statement made on Thursday night when he shot the security guard and killed him,” Dyer said. “There was no comments or no statements made at that time, so I am not certain why he said what he said today.”

Muhammad legally changed his name from Kori Taylor when he was a teenager, according to his grandmother, Glenestene Taylor, who said Muhammad was acting strangely when he visited her Sunday. He was crying, but she believed he was simply going out of town.

“I thought that’s why he’s upset, because he thinks of me as a mother,” said Taylor, 81. “He’s always telling me, ‘I’ll take care of it. I’ll protect you. Don’t you worry about it.’ He really didn’t want to go, but he was going.”

A Facebook profile page for a Kori Ali Muhammad from Fresno paid homage to black pride and black nationalism, with images of the red, green and black Pan-African flag and a raised fist.

The rambling profile includes militant and apocalyptic language and repeated demands to “let black people go.” He referenced “white devils” and praised melanoma skin cancer.

On Saturday afternoon, Muhammad posted a photo of himself in a colorful garment, with his head covered, and the words: “LET BLACK PEOPLE GO OR THE DOOM INCREASES REPARATIONS & SEPARATION NOW.”

On Monday he wrote: “MY KILL RATE INCRESASES TREMENDOUSLY ON THE OTHER SIDE ASÈ ALLAH U AKBAR.”

Brian Levin, director of Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said many of Muhammad’s social media postings make reference to terms used by the Nation of Islam, which has been labeled a racist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Pointing to Muhammad’s repeated references to “white devils” and “Yakub” — the villainous figure responsible for creating white people, according to Nation of Islam lore — Levin said it is likely Muhammad thought he was taking part in a race war against whites.

“We’re living in an era of violent reciprocal prejudice, and there are references on his website to Fard Muhammad, the founder of Nation of Islam, and Nation of Islam uses the term ‘white devils’ quite prolifically, as did this shooter,” Levin said.

Muhammad also repeatedly used the phrase “Black Dragon Lion Hawk” in his Facebook posts, and Levin said such nods to warrior culture are common in black separatist circles.

But Glenestene Taylor said she didn’t remember her grandson showing a racial bias, toward whites or anyone else, in all his years staying with her or during countless visits to her predominately white Fresno neighborhood.

“He would say something derogatory about anybody, didn’t matter about the color,” she said. “If he didn’t like what they did, he didn’t like what they did no matter the color.”

Muhammad had run afoul of Fresno police before. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2005 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm for drug trafficking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, after a Fresno police officer searched his car and found two large bags of cocaine, a loaded handgun and two rifles, court records show. A federal judge later declared Muhammad mentally incompetent to stand trial.

He was deemed competent in August 2006 and pleaded guilty to the charges of cocaine possession with intent to distribute and a weapons charge. He ultimately served 92 months in federal prison, records show.

Hours after the shootings Tuesday, two shaken workers at the Catholic charity said they had ducked under yellow police tape to get out.

They said they were told not to talk to the news media. But one, a Vietnam veteran, said a person never forgets the sound of guns. He said that the charity gives away food every day and that families are allowed to come only once a week.

“We feed a lot of children, so we have to make sure that the food gets spread around,” he said.

“This is a sad day for us all. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims,” Fresno Mayor Lee Brand said in a statement. “None of us can imagine what they must be going through.”

Vincent Taylor said he hopes his son’s capture headed off any future bloodshed.

“I’m happy he was arrested,” he said. “I would hope that whatever Kori tells [police,] they take him seriously and they start following up.”

Los Angeles Times staff writers James Queally and Richard Winton contributed to this report from Los Angeles; staff writer Melanie Mason contributed from Fresno.

Serna, Rocha and Branson-Potts reported from Los Angeles. Marcum reported from Fresno.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

diana.marcum@latimes.com

Twitter: @DianaMarcum

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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UPDATES:

April 19, 7:10 a.m.: This article was updated with details of a news release police put out after the first killing.

7:40 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the suspect firing 16 shots.

7:15 p.m.: This article was updated with more information about the hate crime allegation.

6:15 p.m.: This article was updated with a new top and information about police saying they don’t believe the shootings were an act of terrorism.

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about Kori Ali Muhammad’s social media activity and background about another homicide police believe he was involved in.

4:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Muhammad’s family and information about his criminal history.

3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from police and comments from an expert on black nationalism.

3 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Taylor and from the suspect’s social media posts.

1:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from workers at Catholic Charities.

1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Police Chief Jerry Dyer and a comment from PG&E.

This article was originally published at 12:55 p.m. April 18.</s>A gunman opened fire in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, killing three people before he was taken into custody, local media reported, citing police.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified by authorities, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at a Fresno Motel on Sunday, the Fresno Bee newspaper reported.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California’s central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.</s>A gunman opened fire in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, killing three people before he was taken into custody, local media reported, citing police.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at a Motel 6 in Fresno on Sunday, the Fresno Bee newspaper reported.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Muhammad had expressed a hatred for white people and shouted "Allahu Akhbar" as he was being taken into custody, the Bee reported.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California's central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.

The Bee reported that the gunman opened fire with a large-caliber handgun while cursing shortly before 11 a.m. near a Catholic Charities building.

County government buildings were placed on lockdown and residents were urged to shelter in place, according to the newspaper.

Local television images showed what appeared to be a body covered in a yellow tarp in a street near where police tape marked off several crime scenes.</s>Three people were killed after a man went on a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, California on Tuesday before he was tackled and taken into custody, police said.</s>A road is blocked by police tape after a multiple victim shooting incident in downtown Fresno, California, U.S. April 18, 2017. Fresno County Sheriff/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - A gunman with an apparent dislike of white people and government killed three people in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, before he was taken into custody while shouting "Allahu Akhbar," police said.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting last week of an unarmed security guard at a Motel 6 in Fresno, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters at a press conference.

Dyer said Muhammad fired at least 16 rounds in less than a minute at four downtown Fresno locations at about 10:45 a.m. local time before he was spotted running through the streets by a police officer.

"Immediately upon the individual seeing the officer he literally dove onto the ground and was taken into custody and as he was taken into custody he yelled out 'Allahu Akhbar,'" Dyer said. The term means "God is great" in Arabic.

"He does not like white people," Dyer said, citing the black suspect's statements after being arrested and his Facebook postings. At least two of his victims were white.

Dyer said his department had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation over the incident.

The Fresno Bee newspaper reported that the gunman opened fire with a large-caliber handgun while cursing shortly before 11 a.m. near a Catholic Charities building.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California's central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.

County government buildings were placed on lockdown and residents were urged to shelter in place, according to the newspaper.

Local television images showed what appeared to be a body covered in a yellow tarp in a street near where police tape marked off several crime scenes.</s>{"id":46875968,"title":"Three people fatally shot in downtown Fresno, California","duration":"2:09","description":"The shooting spree ended after the 39-year-old suspect was taken into custody while yelling \"Allah Akbar\"","url":"/WNT/video/people-fatally-shot-downtown-fresno-california-46875968","section":"WNT","mediaType":"default"}</s>A 39-year-old suspect told police that he hated white people after he was arrested for killing three people in Fresno, California, on Tuesday.

The alleged gunman, Kori Ali Muhammad, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” — “God is great” in Arabic — when police took him into custody after his cold-blooded murder spree. Muhammad opened fired shortly before 11 a.m. PT with a high-caliber pistol near a Catholic Charities building in downtown Fresno. Using a speed loader, he fired off 16 rounds in four locations in less than a minute, reports Reuters.

His three victims, all white males, were seemingly chosen at random and had no apparent connection to the gunman. The first was shot multiple times while sitting in a gas and electric truck, the other two were gunned down on foot — one while crossing the street, and the other in the parking lot of the Catholic Charities, according to NBC. The gunman, who was also on foot, fired at another individual, but missed.

A ShotSpotter alerted Fresno police to the gunfire; cops closed in on the suspect as he was running down the street, reports the Fresno Bee. Muhammad, who referred to himself as “Black Jesus,” has a lengthy criminal record, and his Facebook page was reportedly full of ranting posts against white people and “anti-government sentiment.” Authorities had been searching for Muhammad in connection with the murder of a security guard at a Fresno Motel 6 last week.

Fresno police have not yet said whether they are classifying this as a terror attack. The investigation is ongoing, with assistance from the FBI and ATF.</s>FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – The Latest on a fatal shooting near a Catholic Charities facility in downtown Fresno, California (all times local):

The imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno says the suspect in a shooting that killed three people was not a member of his center.

Sayed Ali Ghazvini said Tuesday that he and other faith leaders are trying to identify Kori Ali Muhammad.

Authorities say Muhammad yelled “God is great” in Arabic while being taken into custody. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says he also told authorities he hates white people. All three victims were white.

Ghazvini offered prayers to the victims and their families. He said that members are shocked.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the suspect in a shooting that killed three people in downtown Fresno told police he hates white people and shouted “God is great” in Arabic before the killings.

All three victims in Tuesday’s killings were white. The police chief says they were shot minutes apart in close proximity in areas around downtown.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad was arrested shortly afterward. He was already wanted for a separate killing from last week, in which a Motel 6 security guard in Fresno was gunned down.

Dyer says police have called the FBI to assist in the investigation. He says the suspect made other statements to police but did not disclose what they were.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says three people have been killed in a shooting in the downtown central California city.

He says a suspect is in custody. The shooting happened Tuesday morning near a Catholic Charities building.

Ashlee Wolf of Catholic Charities told the Fresno Bee newspaper (http://bit.ly/2oK6Vzc) that the shooting happened at a bus stop near the charity.

Wolf says the charity doesn’t believe the shooter was tied to Catholic Charities.

Emergency officials say a shooting has killed one person and injured two others in downtown Fresno.

Dan Lynch of Fresno County Emergency Medical Services says the two wounded by gunfire have been transported to hospitals.

Fresno city spokesman Mark Standriff says county offices are on lockdown, and people have been urged to shelter in place. Few other details were immediately known.

Ashlee Wolf of Catholic Charities told the Fresno Bee newspaper (http://bit.ly/2oK6Vzc ) the shooting happened at a bus stop near the charity.

Wolf says the charity doesn’t believe the shooter was tied to Catholic Charities. She says the charity is working with police to provide information.</s>A gunman who went by the nickname Black Jesus killed three white men in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, and fired at another before he was taken into custody while shouting “Allahu Akhbar,” police said.

The suspect, 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting last week of an unarmed security guard at a Motel 6 in Fresno, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters at a press conference.

Dyer said Muhammad fired at least 16 rounds from a large-caliber handgun in less than a minute at four downtown Fresno locations at about 10:45 a.m. local time before he was spotted running through the streets by a police officer.

“Immediately upon the individual seeing the officer he literally dove onto the ground and was taken into custody and as he was taken into custody he yelled out ‘Allahu Akhbar,'” Dyer said. The term means “God is great” in Arabic.

“He does not like white people,” Dyer said, citing the suspect’s statements after being arrested and his Facebook postings. The chief said Muhammad, who is African American, used the nickname Black Jesus.

All four of the men killed on Tuesday were white, as was the security guard and the other man Mohammad shot at but missed.

Dyer said it was too early to rule out terrorism and that his department had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate, but portrayed the incident as “a random act of violence.”

“These individuals who were chosen today did not do anything to deserve what they got,” he said. “These were unprovoked attacks by an individual who was intent on carrying out homicides today, and he did that.”

Dyer said Muhammad had been identified quickly as the prime suspect in the Motel 6 shooting on April 13 and that police had been urgently seeking him across the Fresno area since then.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California’s central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Muhammad has a criminal history that includes weapons and drug charges and had spent time in state prison, Dyer said.

County government buildings were placed on lockdown during the shooting spree and residents were urged to shelter in place.

Local television images showed what appeared to be a body covered in a yellow tarp in a street near where police tape marked off several crime scenes.</s>FRESNO, Calif. — A gunman opened fire in downtown Fresno, California, on Tuesday, killing three people before he was taken into custody, local media reported, citing police.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad, was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard at a Motel 6 in Fresno on Sunday, the Fresno Bee newspaper reported.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Muhammad had expressed a hatred for white people and shouted “Allahu Akhbar” as he was being taken into custody, the Bee reported.

Authorities say the man fired 16 rounds in one minute.

Police said he was armed with a revolver and reloaded at one point. He opened fire at four locations within a block.

Muhammad was arrested shortly after the shooting.

He reportedly shouted “God is great!” in Arabic before the killings. All three victims in Tuesday’s killings were white men, and Muhammad is black.

Dyer says police have called the FBI to assist in the investigation.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says one of its employees was killed during a shooting in downtown Fresno that left two others dead.

Police say the PG&E employee, who has not been identified, was sitting in the passenger seat of his work truck when the suspect walked up and shot him. The driver of the truck sped off to the police department for help.

The utility says in a statement it’s cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate what led the suspect to open fire Tuesday at four locations within a block.
Three people die in a shooting spree in downtown Fresno, California. The suspected gunman, who was already wanted for another murder four days earlier, and who expressed hatred of whites and the government, is arrested.