National Post (National Edition)
Shooter ‘hated’ YouTube: police
Three injured by woman upset at handling of video
SAN BRUNO, CALIF. • A day before a woman opened fire at YouTube headquarters, her father said he warned police that his daughter was upset with the company’s handling of her videos and might be planning to go to its offices. But authorities say her relatives gave no indication she might turn violent.
Police also said Nasim Aghdam, who wounded three people before killing herself, had visited a gun range before Tuesday’s attack. She entered a courtyard at YouTube’s main offices south of San Francisco, pulled out a handgun and fired several rounds.
The 39-year-old told family members that she believed the company was suppressing her videos, which included segments about veganism, animal cruelty and exercise, along with glamour shots of herself.
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said Aghdam had a long-standing dispute with YouTube. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Aghdam used the name “Nasime Sabz” online.
A website in that name decried YouTube’s policies and said the company was trying to “suppress” content creators. “YouTube filtered my channels to keep them from getting views!” one of the messages on the site said. “There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to !!!!! ”
People who post on YouTube can receive money from advertisements that accompany their videos, but the company “de-monetizes” some channels for reasons including inappropriate material or having fewer than 1,000 subscribers.
Aghdam “hated” YouTube and was angry that the company stopped paying her for videos she posted, her father, Ismail Aghdam, told the Bay Area News Group.
On Monday, he called police to report his daughter missing and told officers that she might go to YouTube, he said.
Officers in Mountain View found her sleeping in her car in a parking lot around 2 a.m. Tuesday but let her go after she refused to answer their questions. Aghdam did not appear to be a threat to herself or others, police spokeswoman Katie Nelson said.
Mountain View police said officers spoke to her family twice and at no time did her father or brother “mention anything about potential acts of violence,”