Gunman kills 3 in residential Pasadena

PASADENA, Calif. – A rifle-wielding gunman shot and killed three people in a residential neighborhood of Pasadena on Saturday and opened fire at police before eventually surrendering, authorities said.

At one point, the gunman chased two people down Summit Avenue, fatally shooting one and wounding the other, said Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez.

A neighbor, who police called a “good Samaritan,” also was shot and died in his driveway.

“It appeared that he approached the house to see what was going on. He turned around and ran and was struck by gunfire,” said Deputy Chief Darryl Qualls.

After the shooting, the gunman returned to a home on the street and barricaded himself inside. He called the police department’s communications center and was persuaded to surrender, police said. Police identified him as John Izeal Smith, 35, of Pasadena.

Among the dead were two men and a woman. Another man and a woman suffered minor to moderate injuries, police said. One was treated at the scene and the other was taken to a local hospital.

The victims, whose identities were not immediately released, varied in age from 20 to 70, police said.

Sanchez said the gunman and some of the victims appeared to have had a tenant-landlord relationship. He declined to elaborate, saying that was preliminary information.