IHOP shooting: National Guard members shot; gunman identified
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The man who gunned down five uniformed National Guard members at an IHOP in Nevada, killing two of them, has been identified as 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion of Carson City. Another person was killed in the incident as well.
According to witnesses, the gunman was driving a blue minivan Tuesday when he pulled into a strip mall on the main street of Carson City just before 9 a.m.
Witnesses report he shot a man on a motorcycle and then went into the IHOP through the front door. He did not start shooting until he reached the back of the restaurant, where five National Guard members were eating breakfast.
After leaving the IHOP, police say, the gunman got back into the van and started driving in circles, firing at nearby businesses. Then he shot himself in the head. He was still breathing when the police arrived at 9:03 a.m., but authorities say he died two hours later at Carson-Tahoe hospital.
Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong told reporters that, in addition to those killed, eight people were wounded, according to AP. [UPDATED 5:25 p.m.: An earlier report said seven people were injured.]
No motive for the shooting has been established.
Authorities confirmed that Sencion was not a member of the military. He was a resident of Carson City and worked in a family business in nearby South Lake Tahoe, Calif. There is no evidence that he was acquainted with anyone in the restaurant. Furlong said family members have suggested that Sencion may have been mentally unstable.
According to the Associated Press, the weapon used was an AK-47 assault rifle. Furlong said authorities were analyzing the weapon to determine whether it was automatic or semi-automatic.
Investigators are working to put together a timeline of the events and to figure out a motive.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the minivan had a yellow sticker on it urging people to “support our troops.”
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