SANTA MONICA, California (AP) - US officials say a man who went on a shooting rampage in Santa Monica, California, began the rampage by killing his father and brother.

A police spokesman also said five people, including the gunman, were dead. Police said earlier that seven people were killed, including the gunman.

Two officials briefed on the investigation say the killings on Friday began as a domestic violence incident.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the case.

The officials say the first two victims were the brother and father of the gunman. They were found in a burning home about a mile from the Santa Monica College campus where the gunman was killed.

Police say the gunman killed two more people and injured several others before officers fatally shot him in the college library.