An unidentified gunman on Wednesday night killed five people in a mass shooting before taking his own life in Bakersfield of California, 200km north of Los Angeles, local media reported.

When briefing the media on the case, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said it was a highly unusual case in which "six people shot and dead in one incident," describing the fatal incident as a "mass shooting."

According to the local Bakersfield Californian website quoted by Xinhua news agency, the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon and the police first responded about 5.20pm (0020 GMT, Thursday).

The report said the suspect went to a trucking company with his wife. He first confronted a man at the company and shot him and his wife.

Later, when a third male showed up at the scene, that person was pursued and shot dead, as well.

The gunman then went to a residence where he confronted a man and a woman and shot them dead.

At last, the gunman was chased by a deputy to a parking lot where he shot himself in the chest.

- Bernama