The church bell that rings out to announce
the deaths of tribal members on the Tule River Indian Reservation tolled
repeatedly Sunday after a man killed his mother and her two brothers in a
shooting that also fatally wounded his daughter. Authorities said the suspect
died in a shootout with police.
Authorities cornered Hector Celaya, 31, on
a country road in the middle of citrus orchards 30 miles (48 kilometers) away
from the reservation and about six hours after the shootings Saturday night,
that also left two of his other children wounded.
In the car with him were two daughters,
8-year-old Alyssa and 5-year-old Linea. One had life-threatening injuries; the
other did not.
By Sunday night, authorities confirmed that
Alyssa died of her injuries. Police said Celaya had a tattoo of her name on his
right leg.
Authorities have not disclosed what
motivated Celaya to kill his relatives, who lived in a travel trailer on a
family compound on the reservation of about 800 people. But tribal members said
the former custodian at the reservation's casino had a troubled past.
"He had a real hard life," said
Rhoda Hunter, the tribal council secretary. "But all of us do, we all have
a hard time. But we try not to let it get the best of us."
Hunter said that Celaya's mother was a
friend of hers. The Tulare County sheriff's department, which is investigating
the case, identified her as 60-year-old Irene Celaya.
The killings stunned the tightknit tribal
community.
"We've had a lot of deaths here, but
nothing like this. Not murder. No, not murder," Hunter said.
The remote reservation relies on the Eagle
Mountain Casino for revenues. Each tribal member receives $500 a month, but
Hunter said most of the profit is invested into educational programs for the
children.
The compound where the shooting took place
is on a dirt road in a scenic canyon lined with oaks and sycamore trees. Herds
of horses graze the hillsides, and modular houses sit on hilltops.
The emergency services call came to the
Tule River Indian Reservation fire department at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday, said
Shelby Charley Jr., an engineer and supervisor. He said his crew, which most
often attends to people who fall ill at the casino, was shocked by the carnage.
"This is a once in a lifetime kind of
deal," Charley said. "It's one of those calls you could go your whole
career and not walk into. This is one of those calls that will stick with you
for the rest of your life."
Charley said his crew immediately
discovered a woman and man dead of gunshot wounds, then quickly discovered a
young boy with critical wounds. Thick fog grounded helicopters in Fresno and
Bakersfield, so rescue workers had to drive the gravely injured boy 40 minutes
to the nearest hospital in Visalia.
Minutes later, sheriff's deputies found a
third body in an outbuilding that had been set up as a makeshift bedroom.
Authorities said the bodies of Irene Celaya and her 61-year-old brother
Francisco Moreno were found in the trailer. The body of their 53-year-old
brother, Bernard Franco, was in the shed.
The wounded boy was identified as Celaya's
6-year-old son, Andrew.
Deputies found Celaya by tracking his
cellphone. A chase ensued, though Celaya never exceeded the speed limit and
sometimes slowed to 15 mph (24 kph), police said.
He eventually pulled over in a rural area
deep in the heart of citrus country outside the tiny community of Lindsay,
about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the reservation. Celaya opened fire,
prompting deputies to return fire, sheriff's spokeswoman Chris Douglass said.
She did not say how many shots were fired,
but said Celaya fired his gun "multiple times." Celaya was shot
during the exchange of gunfire, Douglass said. He died hours later at a
hospital.
It was unclear when Celaya shot his
daughters, Douglass said.
Police said Celaya was "known to law
enforcement" and "known to use drugs," though Douglass could not
provide details.
On the steps of Mater Dolorosa Catholic
Church, Hunter said she has never known such tragedy. The church bell echoed
through the reservation Sunday as news of each death made its way to tribal
authorities.
"This is so horrible. We will be doing
a lot of praying," Hunter said.
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