The gunman who went on a rampage in Northern California was a "deranged and paranoid killer" who was out on bail after assaulting two neighbors this year, authorities say.
Kevin Neal killed his wife Monday night on the eve of the shootings and stuffed her body under the floor in his home, according to police.
"We believe that's probably what started this whole event," Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said of the wife's shooting.
Hours later, Neal opened fire at various locations Tuesday, including at the Rancho Tehama elementary school, where he crashed his car through a locked gate and marched toward the classrooms.
By the time police shot him dead near Corning the same day, he'd killed five people and injured 10 others, authorities say.
"The only sounds I could hear were the shots," said Jennifer Bauman, a teacher at the school. "It was horrifying ... there are certain parts that I'm still not ready to talk about.
Anneika Mercer, a fifth-grader at the school, said she first saw broken glass, followed by a big truck and the gunman.
"He had a gun in his hand about to shoot people," she told CNN affiliate KRCR ."And I ran to the teacher and was like, 'bad guy, gun.' And he let me in."
In the confusion, everyone ran to the nearest class, she said.
"I feel OK that he's gone, he won't be seeing me anymore," she said.
The community held a vigil Wednesday to mark the shooting. Neighbors prayed, wept and applauded teachers who saved children's lives.
'Deranged'
Tehama County District Attorney Gregg Cohen described him as a "deranged, paranoid killer" who was under prosecution by his office on several charges related to a confrontation with two female neighbors.
Neal was not supposed to own weapons following the incident with his neighbors in January, according to Cohen.
He fired shots at the women, stabbed one and held them hostage, Cohen said. After he made $160,000 bail, he was accused of repeatedly harassing the women, leading to a protective order against him in February.
Shooter built his own guns
Neal was ordered this year to give up his firearms as part of a protective order, officials said.
Johnston said he did not know whether Neal had surrendered the weapons.
The shooter illegally manufactured guns he used Tuesday, officials said. Handguns recovered by police were not registered to him, Johnston said.
Neal "was not law enforcement friendly" and authorities had come to his house several times after complaints that shots were fired from the property, Johnston said.
Charges against Neal included assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and false imprisonment, Cohen said.
Sister speaks out
Neal's sister told CNN's Sara Sidner that he has struggled with mental health issues for at least 20 years.
"My mom spent a great deal of her time and nearly all her energy trying so hard to placate him," said Sheridan Orr, who was with her distraught mother in North Carolina.
Neal's mental state began a steep decline about a year ago, and the family had tried to get him help, she said.
The shootings
The shootings started in Neal's neighborhood shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday. There, he killed a woman neighbor who had a protective order against him, Johnston said.
Neal had been arrested and charged in January on suspicion of assaulting her with a deadly weapon, he said.
He then stole a pickup truck and went on a 25-minute rampage in town, shooting at homes, motorists and eventually the school, apparently at random, Johnston said.
Wearing a tactical vest and armed with extra magazines, he attempted to enter classrooms at Rancho Tehama Elementary School -- about 2 miles from his home. The staff heard gunfire and locked doors and rushed students inside, where they hit the floor underneath desks and tables.
The shooter rammed the stolen pickup through the school's locked gate, walked into the schoolyard and fired his rifle through windows and walls.
He could not get inside. Apparently frustrated, he left six minutes later, Johnston said.
Before reaching the school, he had fired from his vehicle at passing motorists and homes.
After leaving the school, the shooter intentionally crashed the pickup into a car. He exited the truck and gunned down at least one person there, Johnston said.
He then stole someone else's sedan and "went back on his rampage," Johnston said.
Eventually, two police officers encountered him at an intersection and returned fire, killing him.
Aside from the first shooting in his neighborhood, the killer appeared to be shooting people at random and did not have any connections to the school, police said.
