LOS ANGELES - Three people were killed and several others wounded when a gunman rampaged through several Orange County cities in Southern California Tuesday, local media said.

The suspect was identified as Ali Syed, a 20-year-old man who had no criminal record. He was unemployed, living at home with his parents and taking one class at Saddleback College, said the reports, citing local authorities.

According to Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the violence began about 4:45 am local time (1245 GMT), when a woman was fatally shot at a home in Ladera Ranch. The suspect fled the scene in an SUV, and apparently tried to carjack a number of vehicles in the Tustin area, local police said.

Syed drove the truck onto the freeway and later stopped to open fire on passing vehicles in an attempt to procure another vehicle, said the police, who found seven shell casings at the freeway shooting scene.

He killed two others during carjackings in Santa Ana and Tustin before taking his own life in Villa Park.

Police said they recovered the shotgun the suspect used in all the shootings and were trying to determine ownership of the weapon.

Syed's parents were at their residence when the shootings occurred, Amormino said, adding that they fled the residence after shots were fired and called authorities.

Investigators responded to at least five locations in connection with the carjackings and shootings. The FBI and the California Highway Patrol were also assisting in the investigation.