THE man who shot dead three people before being gunned down by a policeman ranted about his father’s submission to a global “Satanic cult”.

Noah Harpham, 33, made a rambling post to a new blog two days before the mass killings, which began with the address where the shootings began in the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Witnesses said Harpham had a rifle in one hand and a revolver in the other when he killed a cyclist on Saturday, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported. He then walked less than a kilometre and fatally shot Christy Galella and Jennifer Vasquez who were chatting on the porch of a home for women in addiction recovery. Harpham was then killed in a gunbattle with police.

Colorado Springs Police Department has released few details about the mass killings that happened in broad daylight.

Harpham is believed to have set fire to his second floor apartment before embarking on his killing spree.

“Knock me over with a feather — that guy was just a nice guy. I liked him,” his landlord told the Gazette. “I couldn’t imagine for a second that he would even have a weapon. But what do I know.”

Two days before the shooting Harpham, who worked in insurance, posed a one-minute video to YouTube. Pacing his apartment, Harpham said he sent his father, Thomas Harpham, a critique of a sermon by non-denominational Christian pastor Bill Johnson, whose 8000-member Bethel Church teaches congregants to believe in “supernatural revival”.

Harpham appears agitated that his father, who he said was a follower of Johnson’s teachings, had not replied.

“I’ve been waiting, waiting and waiting,” Harpham said.

A blog posted on the same day on a newly created website appears to be his critique of Johnson’s sermon. It is entitled Is my Dad in a Cult? Even Worse, Is It Satanic?

Harpham was also active on Twitter, linking out to his blog post in the days and hours before the shooting, heavy.com reported. He also tweeted a link to the blog to Edward Snowden and @ChemicalCircus, from his account, @Block_N_Bard. His profile picture is a photo of libertarian economist Murray Rothbard, along with the words ‘anti state,’ ‘anti war,’ ‘free-market.’

His final tweet, on October 31, just hours before the shooting, was about his account on the adult webcam site Chaturbate.

On the online dating site eHarmony.com, Harpham described himself as a recovering alcoholic and a Christian. He called himself ‘a big friendly guy’. He was 196cm tall.

“I’m not arrogant or aloof,” he wrote. “I’m just shy around new people in large group settings.”

Harpham’s mother Heather Kopp wrote about her son Noah’s battle with alcohol addiction in her book, Sober Mercies: How Love Caught Up With a Christian Drunk, published in 2013.

Members of Alcoholics Anonymous told the Colorado Springs Gazette that Harpham had been a regular at their meetings until two months ago. He reportedly knew people at Platte House, where he gunned down the two women on the porch.

Noah’s family issued a statement prepared by his father and his brother on Monday. It was delivered by the Rev. Benjamin Broadbent of First Congregational Church in the city.

“Our family is shocked and deeply saddened by the devastating events that took place in Colorado Springs on Saturday morning. Words cannot express our heartfelt sympathies that go out to the families and friends of the victims. We ask for privacy as our family tries to deal with this tragedy.”