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Shooting: Four people killed at Cedarville Rancheria tribal office
Sherie Lash, 44, was facing eviction from her home and allegedly opened fire at the hearing - even pulling out a knife when she ran out of bullets.

A former tribal leader went on a rampage and shot dead four people after she found out she was facing eviction from her home, police have said.

Native American Sherie Lash, 44, allegedly chased another person with a large kitchen knife after running out of bullets at a meeting at Oregon's Cedarville Rancheria tribal office in Alturas, California.

Another two people suffered knife wounds and were critically injured as they tried to escape.

Lash, former tribal leader of the Northern Paiute, has been charged with the murders of two women, 19 and 45, and two men, 30 and 50, as well as two attempted murders.

Police Chief Ken Barnes said: "This is like nothing I have had to deal with in my 25 years of being with the city of Alturas. It's just tragic."

An uninjured employee was eventually able to detain the attacker in the car park.

The attack took place during an eviction hearing involving Lash, also known as Sherie Rhoades, according to the Alturas police department.

Another tribal leader was killed in the rampage and one victim, who had been shot at least four or five times and possibly stabbed, was out of surgery and in an intensive care unit, Barnes said.

The other victim, who was shot once, was recovering after surgery.

Police found two semi-automatic handguns at the scene.

Lash, of Cedarville, California, was being held at the Modoc County Jail on charges of homicide, attempted murder, child endangerment and brandishing a weapon.

Alturas is in remote northeastern California, about 30 miles south of the Oregon border.

Around 35 members of the Northern Paiute group live on 26 acres the Rancheria, according to its website.

The tribal office, in Alturas, about 20 miles west of Cedarville, is where "day-to-day business is conducted and tribal events are held," the website said.