Female suspect dead, three hurt in Youtube HQ shooting
SAN BRUNO, United States: Gunfire erupted at Youtube’s offices in California on Tuesday, leaving three people wounded and sparking a panicked escape before the suspected shooter — a woman — apparently committed suicide.
California news outlets late on Tuesday said she appeared to be a vegan-themed content creator who has raged against Youtube on her personal website for what she saw as censorship of her videos.
“There is no free speech in real world and you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not supported by the system,” read a post on a website identified as hers by the San Francisco Chronicle.
“There is no equal growth opportunity on Youtube or any other video sharing site.” Amid a chaotic scene in the city of San Bruno, a woman believed to be the shooter was found dead at the scene of the Google-owned video sharing service.
“We have one subject who is deceased inside the building with a self-inflicted wound,” San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini told reporters. “At this time, we believe it to be the shooter.”
A statement released later by the San Bruno police department identified her as Nasim Najafi Aghdam, 39, from San Diego, California. It said there was no evidence she knew the victims of the shooting or that anyone was specifically targeted. It said the motive remained under investigation.
Officers arriving to numerous calls for help saw employees running from the building, and found a person out front who appeared to be shot in the leg, according to police.
Four people, three suffering from gunshot wounds, were taken to local hospitals, police said. The fourth person hurt suffered a sprained or broken ankle.
Shootings by women are a rare occurrence in the United States, where the overwhelming majority of gun violence is carried out by men.
According to an FBI study that looked at 160 incidents involving one or more shooters in public places between 2000 and 2013, just six of the people who opened fire were women, or 3.8 per cent.
Barberini said the injured “have been transported and are being treated for injuries that are treatable.”
Employees recounted frantic scenes as they fled Youtube’s headquarters near San Francisco, with one saying he saw blood on the floor as he escaped. The shooting took place around midday, when many at Youtube were having lunch.
“We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake,” employee Todd Sherman tweeted.