Cops knew man who killed 4 on Calif. reservation

3 dead on reservation: Hector Celaya, 31, is a suspect in shootings in which three people died and four others, including two young girls, were wounded Saturday on the Tule River Indian Reservation. IMAGE

AP Photo: Tulare County Sheriff's Department. 3 dead on reservation: Hector Celaya, 31, is a suspect in shootings in which three people died and four others, including two young girls, were wounded Saturday on the Tule River Indian Reservation. IMAGE

12/10/12 By Tracie Cone

Man who went on shooting rampage, killing one of his daughters, his mother and her two brothers, dies in police shootout.

PORTERVILLE, Calif. — Authorities say the gunman who killed four family members on a rural Indian reservation in California had reported thefts to police and was once accused of driving under the influence with his children in the car.

Tule River reservation Police Chief Mike Blain said Monday the DWI claim against 31-year-old Hector Celaya was part of a child custody dispute and was determined to be without merit. He did not elaborate on the theft claims.

Blain said police and the community will have to go back to determine if they missed any red flags before Celaya shot and killed his mother, two uncles and a daughter on the reservation on Saturday night. Two of his other children were wounded.

Authorities cornered Celaya on a country road Sunday about six hours after the Saturday night shootings, which left two of his other children wounded.

Authorities said Celaya was fatally wounded by deputies after he opened fire on them.

In the car with him were two daughters, 8-year-old Alyssa and 5-year-old Linea. One had life-threatening injuries; the other did not.

By Sunday night, authorities confirmed that Alyssa died of her injuries. Police said Celaya had a tattoo of her name on his right leg.

Authorities have not disclosed what motivated Celaya to kill his relatives, who lived on a family compound on the reservation of about 800 people. But tribal members said the former custodian at the reservation's casino had a troubled past.

"He had a real hard life," said Rhoda Hunter, the tribal council secretary. "But all of us do, we all have a hard time. But we try not to let it get the best of us."

Hunter said that Celaya's mother was a friend of hers. The Tulare County sheriff's department, which is investigating the case, identified her 60-year-old Irene Celaya.

The killings stunned the tightknit tribal community.

"We've had a lot of deaths here, but nothing like this. Not murder. No, not murder," Hunter said.

The remote reservation relies on the Eagle Mountain Casino for revenues. Each tribal member receives $500 a month, but Hunter said most of the profit is invested into educational programs for the children.

The compound where the shooting took place is on a dirt road in a scenic canyon lined with oaks and sycamore trees. Herds of horses graze the hillsides, and modular houses sit on hilltops.

The 911 call came to the Tule River Indian Reservation fire department at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday, said Shelby Charley Jr., an engineer and supervisor. He said his crew, which most often attends to people who fall ill at the casino, was shocked by the carnage.

"This is a once in a lifetime kind of deal," Charley said. "It's one of those calls you could go your whole career and not walk into. This is one of those calls that will stick with you for the rest of your life."

Charley said his crew immediately discovered a woman and man dead of gunshot wounds, then quickly discovered a young boy with critical wounds. Thick fog grounded helicopters in Fresno and Bakersfield, so rescue workers had to drive the gravely injured boy 40 minutes to the nearest hospital in Visalia.

Minutes later, sheriff's deputies found a third body in an outbuilding that had been set up as a makeshift bedroom. Authorities said the bodies of Irene Celaya and her 61-year-old brother Francisco Moreno were found in the trailer. The body of their 53-year-old brother, Bernard Franco, was in the shed.

The wounded boy was identified as Celaya's 6-year-old son, Andrew.

Deputies found Celaya by tracking his cellphone. A chase ensued, though Celaya never exceeded the speed limit and sometimes slowed to 15 mph, police said.

He eventually pulled over in a rural area deep in the heart of citrus country outside the tiny community of Lindsay, about 30 miles from the reservation. Celaya opened fire, prompting deputies to return fire, Douglass said.

She did not say how many shots were fired, but said Celaya fired his gun "multiple times." Celaya was shot during the exchange of gunfire, Douglass said.

Police said Celaya was "known to law enforcement" and "known to use drugs," though Douglass could not provide details.

On the steps of Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, Hunter said she has never known such tragedy. The church bell echoed through the reservation Sunday as news of each death made its way to tribal authorities.

"This is so horrible. We will be doing a lot of praying," Hunter said.

Associated Press writer John S. Marshall in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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