RED BLUFF, California (AP) — A man drove into a Northern California Distribution Centre and started shooting at people Saturday afternoon, killing an employee and wounding four others before he was killed by police, authorities said.

The shooting by a 31-year-old man with a semi-automatic rifle started about 3:30 pm at the Walmart distribution centre south of Red Bluff, a city of about 14,000 people about 131 miles (210 kilometres) north of Sacramento, California.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said at a news conference that the shooter circled the parking lot four times before crashing into the building and opening fire with the rifle.

Officials did not identify the shooter, but Johnston said he has a history with the Red Bluff workplace.

Scott Thammakhanty, an employee at the facility's receiving centre, told the Redding Record-Searchlight that he heard the shooter fire from the rifle.