2 shot at law firm, 1 fatally, before gunman kills self
LONG BEACH — A man walked into the Southern California law firm where he worked and shot two men Friday before turning the gun on himself, police said.
Police arrived to find the gunman and one victim dead and learned that the second victim had driven himself to a hospital, Long Beach police Sgt. Brad Johnson said at a news conference.
The injured man was in stable condition.
Police didn’t fire any shots, Johnson said. A SWAT team searched the rest of the building, and no other victims were found.
The gunman’s motive had not yet been determined, but authorities emphasized it was not a case of an active shooter targeting as many people as possible.
“This incident was workplace violence,” Johnson said.
Video showed people running from a two-story office building shouting about a shooting inside.
Joy Wilson heard police sirens outside her home, about a block away from the shooting, and walked outside. There she saw about two dozen people running down San Antonio Drive, “looking like they were trying to get away.”
“They were definitely panicking,” Wilson said, standing near the police tape, helicopters buzzing overhead.
The building in a well-to-do neighborhood in Long Beach is home to three law firms, but police did not reveal the office where the shooting occurred. The complex windows were decorated with Christmas displays featuring candy canes and Santa Claus.
Residents said they were stunned by the violence.
“This is a very safe area,” said Agnes, 40, who lives in a nearby apartment and did not want to give her last name.
She had strolled down to Trader Joe’s to shop for groceries when she came upon the crush of police cars and helicopters flying overhead.
“Everything was always fine,” she said. “We have good neighbors. That is why I am in shock.”
The site is about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in Long Beach, a city of about 460,000 people.