US gunman kills 1, injures another

A gunman shot a woman dead and injured a man in the Mojave Desert, California, on Friday, police officials reported.

Sergio Munoz also took two people hostage in his trunk during a chase through the desert before he was killed by police officers.

According to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Munoz called an officer to tell him he wanted to deliver a package to police and kill officers.

The culprit also said he would “wreak havoc” somewhere else because he would be outgunned, Youngblood added.

The sheriff said that police believe the “package” was the hostages.

Almost two hours later, a sheriff’s deputy saw Munoz’s car and began pursuing him on a highway for over 30 miles.

He fired at least ten times with a shotgun and a handgun while passing vehicles, but no motorists were hurt, Youngblood noted.

During the chase the criminal pulled over and the trunk’s door popped open which revealed a man and a woman were inside the trunk. Munoz got back into the car and continued driving.

He told the pursuing officers at some point that “I’m going to shoot them”, Youngblood said.

Eventually, he pulled over and turned in his seat in order to shoot into the trunk. After shooting a few times, he was killed by seven officers who opened fire on him.

The hostages, who were in critical condition, were taken to a hospital. They are expected to survive.

The rate of violent crime in the United States went up fifteen percent last year, a new government report shows.

The crime rate rose for the second year in a row, marking an end to two decades of declining crime rates.

More than 28,400 people have been killed by guns in the US since the massacre of 26 elementary school students and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, last December, according to The Slate’s estimate based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AT/ISH