The Catholic bishop of San Bernardino has offered his prayers after a man fatally shot his estranged wife and a pupil with special needs at an elementary school
Cedric Anderson shot Karen Elaine Smith and eight year old Jonathan Martinez with a large-calibre revolver at North Park School before killing himself.
Most Rev Gerald Barnes wrote on Twitter: "I'm praying for the victims and entire school community after today's tragic shooting @NorthPark Elem. May God console us in this time of sorrow."
Mr Anderson and Ms Smith had been estranged for at least a month before the attack on Monday, in which a nine year old was also hurt.
The Diocese of San Bernardino later held a prayer service at Our Lady of the Assumption in the city, which touches the eastern tip of Los Angeles.
Maria Garcia, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino City Unified School District, paid tribute to Ms Smith, saying: "It takes a very, very special person to be a special education teacher."
"We want her to be remembered for the amazing teacher that she was."
Mr Anderson, who had a criminal history that included weapons charges and domestic violence, walked into North Park telling staff he had something to drop off to his wife.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us