Woman opens fire at California YouTube-headquarters before apparently killing herself
What's the story
A gunwoman opened fire at the California YouTube headquarters yesterday afternoon before apparently shooting herself. Three people are injured, including a man said to be her boyfriend who is critical. The incident triggered panic at the headquarters, and employees posted live details of the situation on social media. This is the first case in recent times where the shooter was a woman.
Details
Police suspect domestic dispute, not related to terrorism
The woman approached a dining area during lunchtime and opened fire. Police was informed at 12:46pm, and they arrived two minutes later to find a "chaotic scene." They found a person with a bullet wound at the front of the headquarters. The suspect was found dead minutes later. Two other victims were found at a nearby business. Law enforcement suspect a domestic dispute.
Twitter Post
Google CEO Sundar Pichai addresses the tragedy
There are no words to describe the tragedy that occurred today. @SusanWojcicki I are focused on supporting our employees the @YouTube community through this difficult time together. Thank you to the police first responders for their efforts, and to all for msgs of support.
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 3, 2018
Social media
Employees take to social media to narrate goings-on
YouTube employees took to social media to describe what was happening. "We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running...," was the first of many tweets by Todd Sherman, Product Manager. When he found out there was an active shooter, "every new person I saw was a potential shooter." Police evacuated employees in a queue with their hands up before frisking them.
Twitter Post
Visuals from the spot
More snaps from the scene pic.twitter.com/yPm8S7VOrJ
— Dan Milano 🤨 (@DanMilanoHere) April 3, 2018
Tribute
Top tech honchos offer condolences for victims
Tributes poured in from the who's who of the industry. "From everyone at Apple, we send our sympathy and support to the team at YouTube and Google, especially the victims and their families," tweeted Tim Cook, Apple CEO. "Horrible and tragic day for YouTube and Google. We are wishing our very best for the injured and all those affected," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon Chief.
Twitter Post
Donald Trump tweets after attack
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2018
Female shooters
Only six gunpersons out of 160 incidents were women
The shooter has been identified by some as Nasim Najafi Aghdam, 39, but there's no official confirmation. Women shooters are rare - according to an FBI report, only six persons who opened fire out of 160 shooting incidents during 2000-2013 were women. In 2017, 28 mass attacks analyzed by the Secret Service involved male attackers.