Four people have been killed and two others were injured in a shooting inside an American Indian tribal headquarters building in Northern California on Thursday, media reports said citing local police.

According to reports, Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said 44-year-old Sherie Lash has been taken into custody after she allegedly opened fire at the Cedarville Rancheria Tribal Office and Community Center in Alturas.

According to police reports, Lash allegedly pulled out a gun and shot four people dead and a fifth who was trying to flee from the building. After she ran out of ammunition, she grabbed a butcher knife and stabbed another one. Lash has been taken to Modoc County Jail about 23 miles from the tribal office where the incident took place.

Barnes reportedly said that tribal members had held a meeting to discuss evicting Lash, also known as Sherrie Rhoades, and her son from Rancheria, which, according to its website, is a federally recognized tribe with 35 members.

Barnes said in a report by KRCR-TV that the four dead include a 19-year-old woman, a 30-year-old man, a 45-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, adding that one of the victims was the tribe's leader.

Barnes said that when the police arrived at the spot, the suspect was outside the building, trying to run, and she had a knife in her hand. Both the injured victims were taken to a local hospital for treatment and their current condition is unclear. Authorities said that the bodies of the deceased are still in the building.

RELATED STORIES