Tehama County authorities lavished praise on quick-thinking teachers and other school employees after Tuesday’s deadly shooting rampage.
Phil Johnston is the assistant sheriff of Tehama County.
“I really and truly believe we would have had a horrific bloodbath in that school if that school hadn’t taken the action when they did,” he said.
As rapid gunfire echoed through the hills of Rancho Tehama Reserve, a school secretary rushed out to shoo children inside. A custodian swooped in, yelling "get into the classrooms," at kids in the play yard.
Inside Rancho Tehama Elementary School, children and some parents huddled under desks as bullets riddled the tan and teal portable classrooms.
Randy Morehouse, the district's maintenance and operations head, told the Associated Press Neal "tried and tried and tried and tried to get into the kindergarten door," but it was locked.
Neal then went to the back side of the cafeteria and reloaded, Morehouse said. He came onto the playground and shot at a passing car before running back to his vehicle and driving off.
“I think that he became frustrated, ‘I’m here too long, because I’, there’s no doubt that he did not want to give up, so I think he went on to, he elected to find other targets,” Johnson said.
A total of six people died in the rampage, including Neal who was killed in a gun battle with deputies.