ABHA: Three people were killed and several injured when a psychotic opened fire on them in south Khaibar in Asir, according to a website.

Maj. Zaed Al-Qahtani, spokesman for police in Asir, said that after Khamis Mushait police received information about the firing, the culprit was arrested. He is in his 30s. He was taken to a mental health hospital for examination. The crime is under investigation, Al-Qahtani said.

An eyewitness said that the man in question had run away from a medical clinic on Monday where he was being treated for psychosis. He was admitted there on public complaints that he attacked people crossing the street or entering shops.

He was detained by Khaibar police who handed him over to a clinic for treatment. He was later released by police.

On Tuesday evening, the man got hold of a gun and tried to kill his parents and two sisters. He was prevented from doing this by relatives. Two of his brothers and two cousins were injured in the process.

With the gun still in his hands, he ran out of the house, firing indiscriminately. Two men died and a passersby was injured. The injured man later died in Al-Hayat Hospital. Shots fired by the arrested man also hit passing cars.