Gunman Kills 6, Himself in Rampage : Violence: Unemployed construction worker was apparently despondent over an eviction. His ex-landlord is among those slain in Central California spree.

A gunman apparently distressed over being evicted went on a shooting spree across three picturesque Central California coastal towns, killing six people, including his former landlord, and wounding another man before killing himself in front of a hostage, authorities said Sunday.

Lynwood (Jim) Drake III, 43, an unemployed construction worker, was on the phone with hostage negotiators Sunday morning when he shot himself in the head at a home in the rural town of San Miguel. The hostage, homeowner Joanne Morrow, 60, an acquaintance of Drake’s, suffered minor head injuries and was in good condition, officials said.

The shootings, in two homes and a card club, appeared to be “very thought out, very intentional,” said Morro Bay Police Detective Sgt. Greg Beuer. “He fully intended on killing some people (Saturday) night and did it in a very methodical way.”

The bloody trail began Saturday about 6:30 p.m. in Morro Bay, when witnesses called police after hearing shots at a neighbor’s home, Beuer said.

Police found the bodies of Norm Metcalf, 27, and Danny Dizek, 32. Another man, Jeffrey Sidlen, 27, was wounded in the arm. He underwent surgery and was in stable condition, Beuer said.

Police connected Drake to the killings and went to the home of Drake’s former landlord, Andrew Zatko, 79. Zatko was found fatally shot in the throat, Beuer said. Like the first two victims, Zatko had been killed with a handgun, Beuer said. Police believe Zatko was shot first.

Zatko had taken Drake to court last month in an eviction proceeding. Beuer said another victim, Metcalf, who had once roomed with Drake, ended up testifying against Drake in court.

Drake apparently did not know Metcalf’s friends Dizek and Sidlen, who were apparently visiting Metcalf when Drake burst in on them. “They ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Beuer said.

Drake had been evicted because he had failed to pay rent, said San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Lt. Pat Hedges. Investigators say that Drake allegedly made threats against Zatko and others, and had threatened to take his own life.

“Nobody relayed any of this to authorities,” Beuer said. “Everybody seemed to feel he had problems but just sort of left him alone.”

Drake’s anger may have been stoked by the departure of his common-law wife and child last month, around the time that Drake was evicted, Beuer said. The two are believed to be living in North Dakota.

On Saturday night, as police found the three bodies and were issuing a bulletin for Drake, he drove north about 20 miles to Paso Robles.

About 11:45 p.m., according to authorities, he entered the Oaks Card Parlour, which had recently opened, and shot two men and a woman with a shotgun. Card dealers David Law, 47, of Atascadero and Joe Garcia, 60, of Paso Robles died instantly. Another employee, Kris Staub, a 31-year-old woman from Atascadero, died at a hospital.

Investigators said they do not know why Drake targeted the card club or whether he knew the victims. However, Beuer said Drake had frequented the club before it moved to its present site, and he apparently suffered heavy gambling losses.

“He had been a patron there before, and he was asked not to come back,” Hedges said. He did not know why Drake had been kicked out of the club.

Drake next drove 10 miles north, to the sparsely populated town of San Miguel, to Morrow’s home, where police believe he may have been staying since his eviction, Beuer said.

As officers from Morro Bay, Paso Robles and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department converged on the house, police got Drake on the phone and began negotiating for Morrow’s release. Investigators believe that Morrow may have been a previous landlord of Drake’s, Hedges said.

About 5 a.m., after three hours of talking, Drake killed himself with a handgun, Hedges said.