A former security guard wanted for murdering five people in a shooting spree killed himself today during a gun battle with police.
Mr Joseph Ferguson (20) died after a gun battle with officers about five miles from the centre of Sacramento, California, said sheriff's spokeswoman Ms Linda Casillas.
"There was a very large shootout and he shot at a California Highway Patrol officer and I believe one other citizen, and then he was trying to get out of the area and shot himself," Ms Casillas said.
She said the Highway Patrol officer was believed to be wounded but not dead, and the condition of the other person who was possibly wounded was not immediately known.
Authorities say Mr Ferguson went on a shooting spree on Saturday night because he was despondent over losing his job with Burns Security a week earlier.
His ex-girlfriend, also a Burns employee, and three other former co-workers were among his victims.
He claimed his fifth victim last night when a Burns Security supervisor was shot. He had kept the man and his wife hostage for more than 12 hours before killing the supervisor and attempting to flee once again, authorities said.
During the shooting spree, Mr Ferguson phoned former work colleagues and said he planned a rampage bloodier than one last month in which Ukrainian immigrant Mr Nikolay Soltys killed six family members.
AP