California gunman screamed ‘Allahu akbar’ after shooting dead three strangers in mission to ‘kill as many white people as possible’
Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, shouted 'Allahu akbar' after gun rampage but cops say it was not a terror attack and was 'solely based on race'
A GUNMAN who murdered three strangers in a random shooting spree wanted to kill as many white people as possible, police said.
Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, shouted "Allahu akbar" as he was tackled by cops after firing 16 bullets in two minutes in Fresno, California.
Cops say the attack had "nothing to do with terrorism in spite of the statement he made".
Police chief Jerry Dyer told reporters: "This is solely based on race.
“If in fact he’s lashing out at white people — white males in this case. We believe it is a hate crime.”
Muhammad launched his rampage hours after police publicly identified him as the suspect in the gun murder of a motel security guard a week earlier.
At 10.45am local time yesterday he walked up to a utility truck and shot a Pacific Gas & Electric Co employee sitting in the passenger seat.
The driver of the truck - who was spared because he is Latino - sped off looking for help but the passenger, a 34-year-old white man, died.
Muhammad then shot at another person and missed, police said.
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He aimed at a third, killing the 37-year-old white man on the pavement as he walked with a bag of groceries.
After reloading he gunned down his final victim, aged 58, in the car park of a Catholic charity building.
Dyer said Muhammad approached another vehicle in between shootings, but he spared the lives of two Latina women who were in the car with a child.
He said: "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual that was intent on carrying out homicides today. He did that."
Witnesses claimed the gunman sprayed rounds at random while reloading his large handgun and swearing.
When he was arrested he is said to have told officer: "I did it. I shot them." He later told officers he hates white people and the government.
Police are searching for the .357 revolver Muhammad said he tossed into a pile of clothing. The gun may have been picked up by someone else, Dyer said.
The ammunition used was the same kind as that used to kill the 25-year-old security guard at a motel in the city last week.
Muhammad faces four counts of murder and at least two additional charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
On what appeared to be his Facebook page, he repeatedly posted "#LetBlackPeopleGo" and encouraged "black warriors" to "mount up."
He also posted about "white devils" and praised melanoma skin cancer.
On Saturday he posted a photo of himself in a colourful garment with his head covered, writing: "LET BLACK PEOPLE GO OR THE DOOM INCREASES REPARATIONS & SEPARATION NOW."
On Monday, the day before the shootings, he wrote: ";MY KILL RATE INCRESASES TREMENDOUSLY ON THE OTHER SIDE ASÈ ALLAH U AKBAR."
On several occasions, he wrote updates that included the phrase "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is the greatest".
And earlier this year he released a rap album full of violent and racially-charged lyrics, including referring to himself in one song as a “black soldier.”
In one song uploaded to YouTuube, called U Gone Need Me: Tru Story Kori, he says he is "on a mission for the liberation of my people".
He raps: "Hollow points make a white devil body spin... Kill a racist devil dead, cut off they head, put a bullet in they head, and get that bread."
Muhammad has a criminal history that includes arrests on weapons, drugs and false imprisonment charges and making terrorist threats. He had been associated with gangs but he was not a confirmed member, police say.
He was charged in 2005 with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, court records show. Federal prosecutors said at the time that he was also in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and two rifles after being convicted of a felony.
He claimed insanity, and his attorney requested a psychiatric examination for his client, saying Muhammad "appeared eccentric with some bizarre beliefs." A psychiatrist who examined Muhammad believed he had psychosis, Muhammad's attorney said.
He also "suffered auditory hallucinations and had at least two prior mental health hospitalisations," according to court documents.
Muhammed was born Cory Taylor and was also known as Cory McDonald.
His father Vincent Taylor, told the his son believed there was a race war going on in America between blacks and whites and "a battle was about to take place".
He said: "I'm happy he was arrested. I would hope that whatever Kori tells (police) they take him seriously and they start following up."
The killer's grandmother Glenestene Taylor, 81, said he was acting strangely and crying when he visited on Easter Sunday. He told her he was leaving town.
She said: “I thought that’s why he’s upset, because he thinks of me as a mother. 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.”
Muhammad's brother, who asked not to be identified by name, said: "I never would have thought he would do anything like this.
"I'm just kind of shocked."
He described his brother as a funny and intelligent man.
Police say two of the victims may have been clients of Catholic Charities, which provides a variety of services for refugees, the homeless and those with disabilities.
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