Fresno shooting: Three dead after gunman opens fire and shouts 'Allahu Akbar'

The suspect was detained by police

The suspect has been taken into custody (Twitter)

Three people have been killed in California after a man with a gun opened fire, apparently at random, and shouted “Allahu Akbar”.

Reports said the people were killed in the city of Fresno and that the suspect was captured after police gave chase.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer told local media that 39-year-old Kori Ali Muhammad started to shoot as he walked along the city’s North Van Ness Boulevard at around 10.45am on Tuesday morning.

Mr Dyer said a total of 16 shots were fired. He said Mr Muhammad was wanted in connection with a shooting death at a Motel 6 that occurred last week.

Fresno is an agricultural hub in California's central valley, about 170 miles southeast of San Francisco.