Police: Suspect in shooting at Indian reservation dies after killing 3, wounding 4

Hector Celaya (Tulare Police Department)

California authorities say a man suspected of killing three people and wounding four others -- including his own daughters --  has died from his injuries a shooting Saturday night at an Indian reservation.

Officials say 31-year-old Hector Celaya died Sunday, hours after he was wounded during gunfire with Tulare County sheriff's deputies as he tried to flee in a vehicle.

The Tulare County Sheriff's office said when deputies responded to a 911 call regarding shots fired at Tule Indian Reservation in Porterville at 7:47 p.m., they found the body of a man and a woman in a trailer and a third body -- that of a another man -- nearby.

Sheriff's deputies also found a male juvenile who suffered from an apparent gunshot wound. The boy, believed to be about 7, was taken to a hospital in Visalia, then on to a second hospital in Fresno, said Shelby Charley Jr., an engineer and supervisor with the Tule River Reservation Fire Department.

The drive, along winding roads to get out of the reservation, took about 40 minutes, before the boy arrived at the second hospital, Charley said. Emergency crews had requested a helicopter to transport the boy, but a helicopter was unable to respond because of thick fog, Charley said.

Tulare County authorities caught the suspect -- 31-year-old Hector Celaya -- who was with his daughters, ages 5 and 8, after a pursuit that ended around 2 a.m. Sunday outside the town of Lindsay.

The department said detectives tracked Celaya, who fled the crime scene in a green Jeep Grand Cherokee, after finding his cellphone.

During the chase, Celaya exchanged gunfire with detectives, police said. A preliminary investigation revealed that Celaya shot his children, one of whom is being treated for life-threatening injuries, the statement said.

Celaya is described by authorities as "known to law enforcement, is known to use drugs."

A motive for the attacks also wasn't immediately known.

On Sunday afternoon, the sound of church bells echoed through the rustic valley, an indication that somebody had died, Charley said.

At the shooting scene, police tape stretched out across the driveway leading to the shooting scene -- three modular homes built on a hillside in a remote area of scattered oak trees and rock outcroppings -- that appeared to be a family compound.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.