California gunman kills five people, including his wife, before shooting himself

A gunman in southern California has killed five people, including his wife, before turning the gun on himself.

The shootings happened at a trucking business in Bakersfield, 90 miles north of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said the man first showed up at the business with his wife shortly before 5.30pm local time, where he confronted another man, shooting him then shooting his wife.

He then chased and shot another man who showed up, Mr Youngblood told KERO-TV.

He said the gunman then went to a home where he shot two people, then carjacked a woman who was driving with her child.

The woman and child escaped and the man drove off before a sheriff’s deputy saw him, Mr Youngblood said.

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When the deputy confronted him at gunpoint, the man shot himself in the chest, he added.

“Obviously, these are not random shootings,” the sheriff said.

The gunman’s identity was not immediately released, and it was also not immediately known how he was related to the victims other than his wife.

It was also not known what had sparked the shootings, which saw all six people die in a short amount of time, Mr Youngblood said.

He added that around 30 people saw the shootings and were being interviewed by deputies.