Gunman kills 3, self, at Nevada IHOP

A gunman wielding an AK-47 opened fire on a table of uniformed National Guard members at an IHOP restaurant Tuesdayin an outburst of violence that killed four people, wounded eight and put Nevada's capital city on high alert as the shooter unloaded his assault rifle in a bustling business district.

The shooter's motive was unclear, but family members said he had mental issues. He had never been in the military and had no known affiliation with anyone inside the restaurant.

Five Nevada National Guard troops sitting together at the back of the restaurant were shot -- two of them fatally. Another woman was also killed, and the gunman, 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion of Carson City, shot himself in the head and died at a hospital.

Witnesses and authorities described a frantic scene in which the shooter pulled into the large complex of retail stores and shops just before 9 a.m. He got out and immediately shot and wounded a woman near a motorcycle, a witness said.

Ralph Swagler, owner of a nearby business, said he grabbed his own weapon, but said it was too late to stop the shooter, who charged into the IHOP through the front doors.

The gunman went all the way to the back of the restaurant and opened fire, Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said. When he left the restaurant, he stood in the parking lot and shot into nearby businesses. Officers arrived minutes later and found the suspect lying in the parking lot.

The names of the victims were not immediately released. Sencion left two more guns in the van -- a rifle and a pistol, authorities said.