Seven-year-old orphaned by California shooting rampage knew and feared the gunman
A little boy who managed to survive crazed gunman who killed his father and grandmother before opening fire at his school while he was inside.
Gage, 7, knew the gunman well. Kevin Jason Neal was his neighbour but on Tuesday Neal took on a different role as he killed Gage’s father, Danny, and paternal grandmother in a shooting in Northern California, Fox 13 Salt Lake City reports.
The boy’s maternal grandmother Alma Feitelberg said Neal fired at Danny’s house. That was before the gunman set his sights on Rancho Tehama Elementary School.
CNN reports Neal was a “deranged, paranoid killer”. On Tuesday, he killed five people and injured 10 before police shot him dead.
Tehama County District Attorney Gregg Cohen said Neal fired a gun at two women and stabbed one of them on January 31. He was arrested and jailed but was freed on bail.
Mr Cohen said what Neal did on his most recent attack was “simply the mass murder, shooting rampage of a deranged, paranoid killer”.
This was despite an order that Neal surrender all firearms along with a ban on purchasing any. Authorities said he engineered his own weapon for the recent shooting.
On Tuesday, he crashed a truck through a locked gate and opened fire on the school as terrified teachers and students huddled inside.
Among them was Gage.
Teachers managed to force the school into lockdown and after six minutes Neal became frustrated that he couldn’t get inside.
Two officers then found Neal at a nearby intersection and shot him dead. They now say Neal’s targets appeared to be random.
But Gage knew and feared Neal. He told Fox 13 Salt Lake City the gunman fired at his house “at least three times a day”.
Gage’s grandmother said she was heartbroken for her grandson who has now lost both his parents.
“It’s just tragic and no seven-year-old should have to face that,” Ms Feitelberg said.
Sadly, the seven-year-old is no stranger to tragedy.
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When he was 22 months old his mother Cher died in a freak accident involving drugs. Ms Feitelberg, Cher’s mother, said her daughter had been battling physical pain and tried to kill it with opioids.
“She was sitting on the edge of the bathtub and had a heart attack from taking too many pills. She fell into the water and drowned,” Ms Feitelberg said.
But Gage’s grandmother said her “main goal in life now” is to make sure the little boy is “happy and healthy”.
She intends to get guardianship of Gage and has since started a Go Fund Me page to ensure the little boy never has to face tragedy again.
