Army Vet Shot at Californians— While Atop Tractor

A 29-year-old Army veteran allegedly murdered his mother, set her house on fire, and then fired at residents in Simi Valley, Calif., while driving a tractor before being shot dead by police Saturday, NBC Los Angeles reports. Police were alerted to the situation by Ryan Carnan's brother, who reported their mother had been killed, and by neighborhood residents who spotted a shooter atop a tractor. ABC 7 reports that Carnan allegedly shot at a bicyclist as well as others; police say they shot Carnan after he opened fire on them.

Carnan's brother told authorities his brother confessed to shooting and killing their mother, whose body was found inside the burning home, though her cause of death has not been officially verified. No one else was injured. Police aren't sure of Carnan's motive or what led up to the shootings. He had been stationed in Korea at some point, and police had been called to the family home three times over concerns about his mental health, though the last of those calls reportedly occurred five years ago. NBC Los Angeles notes that Sally Carnan was a beloved employee of Santa Susana High School, where she was known as the "Attendance Lady." (More shooting stories.)