Kevin Janson Neal

Kevin Janson Neal was born on June 10, 1973, in the United States. He attended East Carolina University between August 2001 and May 2004 but did not complete a degree or formally declare a major. In 2005, Neal relocated to California, eventually settling in Rancho Tehama, a remote, economically disadvantaged, unincorporated community in Tehama County.

Family members later stated that Neal had a longstanding history of mental illness, anger management issues, and an increasing fixation on conspiracy theories. According to his mother, his mental state noticeably deteriorated beginning in 2016. Neal became intensely suspicious of his neighbors, whom he repeatedly accused of operating a methamphetamine lab and conspiring against him, despite multiple investigations by authorities finding no evidence to support his claims.

Neal’s behavior generated frequent law enforcement attention. Between 2016 and 2017, sheriff’s deputies were called to his residence on Bobcat Lane at least 21 times for complaints involving gunfire, threats, and harassment. When deputies attempted to make contact, Neal often refused to answer the door, leading at least one neighbor to later speculate that Neal may have been deliberately testing law enforcement response times.

On January 31, 2017, Neal was arrested after stabbing a neighbor, Hailey Poland, assaulting her mother‑in‑law, and forcibly taking a mobile phone. He was charged with two felony counts and five misdemeanors. Neal was released after his mother posted bail and paid significant legal fees. Following his release, Neal continued to harass neighbors, prompting the issuance of a restraining order that required him to surrender all firearms and prohibited further gun possession. Neal complied only partially, surrendering a single pistol and falsely asserting he owned no other weapons.

Despite the restraining order, Neal illegally manufactured at least one semi‑automatic rifle and possessed additional unregistered handguns. His escalating paranoia, combined with access to firearms and repeated failures to intervene effectively, set the stage for the violence that followed.

The Rancho Tehama shooting spree began on the night of November 13, 2017, at Neal’s residence located at 6970 Bobcat Lane in Rancho Tehama, California. At some point that evening, Neal shot and killed his wife, 38‑year‑old Barbara Ann Glisan (also spelled Gilsan). After killing her, Neal concealed her body beneath floorboards inside their home. Her death was not discovered until after the following day’s rampage.

On the morning of November 14, 2017, Neal left his home armed with multiple firearms, including at least one self‑assembled AR‑15‑style semi‑automatic rifle and two semi‑automatic pistols. His first victims that morning were his neighbors, 38‑year‑old Danny Lee Elliott and Elliott’s 68‑year‑old mother, Diana Lee Steele. Neal shot and killed both at their home, mistakenly believing they were involved in methamphetamine production.

After killing his neighbors, Neal stole Elliott’s pickup truck and began firing at random vehicles and pedestrians throughout Rancho Tehama. At one intersection, he deliberately rammed a vehicle carrying Tiffany Nai Phommathep and her three young sons before shooting into the car, wounding all four occupants with bullets and shattered glass. Despite being shot multiple times, Tiffany survived after receiving delayed medical assistance.

Neal then drove to Rancho Tehama Elementary School. School staff, having heard gunfire nearby, quickly initiated a lockdown. Neal crashed the pickup truck through the school’s front gates and exited with his rifle, firing repeatedly at buildings, windows, and walls. Nearly 100 rounds were discharged at the school. Two students were shot, including six‑year‑old Alejandro Hernandez, who suffered critical injuries to his chest and leg and required multiple surgeries. A woman attempting to divert Neal’s attention away from the school was also shot and injured.

Unable to access classrooms, Neal abandoned his rifle outside the school and fled. He continued the rampage by crashing into another vehicle and shooting at the occupants. Fifty‑five‑year‑old Michelle Iris McFadyen was killed, while her husband, Troy Lee McFadyen, survived after pleading for his life. Neal then shot and wounded a passerby who had stopped to offer help, stole his vehicle, and killed another victim, 56‑year‑old Joseph Edward McHugh III, outside McHugh’s home.

As Neal continued firing at victims from his vehicle, law enforcement pursued him. The 25‑minute rampage spanned eight separate crime scenes. At approximately 8:19 a.m., Neal’s stolen vehicle was rammed by responding officers from the Corning Police Department and the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office. After exchanging gunfire with officers and striking their patrol vehicle multiple times, Neal shot himself above the left eye, dying at the scene.

In total, six people were killed, including Neal’s wife, and eighteen others were injured. Eleven of the injured sustained gunshot wounds, while seven children were hurt by flying glass. Victims were transported to multiple medical facilities across Northern California. The attack reignited national and international debate over homemade firearms, gun‑licensing laws, and the enforcement of restraining orders.