YouTube Shooting: Suspect Was Upset With Company, Practiced At Gun Range Before Attack

MENIFEE (CBSLA) — Federal agents arrived Wednesday at the Menifee home of 38-year-old Nasim Aghdam, who was identified as the woman who shot and wounded three people at YouTube's headquarters in Northern California before turning the gun on herself.

Investigators in ATF shirts and jackets were seen coming and going from the home of Aghdam's father at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, and may have been there all night. They are believed be interviewing Aghdam's family members about the events that led up to Tuesday afternoon's shooting at the San Bruno headquarters of YouTube.

Police responding to reports of shots fired at YouTube at about 12:48 p.m. Tuesday found frantic employees fleeing the building.

The most seriously injured victim, a 36-year-old man, remains hospitalized. His condition was upgraded from critical to serious condition Wednesday.

Two women, ages 32 and 27, were treated for less serious gunshot wounds and have since been released. Another woman injured her ankle while fleeing the scene.

Aghdam's father says she became upset with the online video giant when they stopped paying her for her content. Nasim Aghdam had apparently been making a living as YouTube personality, but recently complained YouTube's new filters were costing her views and viewers.

According to her family, Aghdam came to the United States when she was 18-years-old as a refugee from Iran. She was most recently living with her grandmother in San Diego, where she was reported missing, but her father, Ismail Aghdam, says the family became alarmed when authorities reported finding her in Mountain View – just 30 minutes away from YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno.

Ismail Aghdam and his son say they were not aware she had a gun, but that they called Mountain View police back to warn them she could go to YouTube to "start a fight."

San Bruno police Chief Ed Barberini said during a Wednesday morning news conference that he was unaware of what information might have been passed along to Mountain View police before the shooting.

The actual shooting Tuesday afternoon was San Bruno police department's first contact with the woman. Barberini said Aghdam practiced at a gun range Tuesday morning before carrying out the midday shooting with a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun registered in her name. The gun was found at the scene.

Aghdam got into the YouTube complex through a parking garage, Barberini said. Investigators do not believe the shooter targeted anyone in particular as she fired.

"[We] will be increasing the security we have at all of our offices worldwide to make them more secure not only in the near term, but long-term," a statement from YouTube reads in part.

Mountain View police issued a statement confirming that Aghdam's family had contacted the department to say she was upset at YouTube.

"Aghdam's father stated that she may have been in the area because of this," according to the department. "He did not seemed concerned that she was in the area, and wanted to simply let us know that may have been a reason for her move up here. Once again, at no point did her father or brother mention anything about potential acts of violence or a possibility of Aghdam lashing out as a result of her issues with her videos. They remained calm throughout this second phone call."

According to Mountain View police, Aghdam told officers early Tuesday morning that she was living in her vehicle while looking for a job in the area.

"At no point during our roughly 20 minute interaction with her did she mention anything about YouTube, if she was upset with them, or that she had planned to harm herself or others," police said. "Throughout our entire interaction with her, she was calm and cooperative."

Aghdam's father released a statement Wednesday morning reading in part: "Our family is in absolute shock and can't make sense of what has happened yesterday. Although no words can describe our deep pain for this tragedy, our family would like to express their utmost regret, sorry for what has happened to innocent victims."

The YouTube campus remained closed Wednesday. The San Bruno police chief said Aghdam's car was impounded and being examined, but no notes or manifestos were found that forecast the violence, aside from online rants that did not appear to mention any violent intentions.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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