Local News

YOUTUBE SHOOTING: Shooting Suspect At YouTube Headquarters Identified

/ CBS San Francisco

SAN BRUNO (CBS SF) -- Police have identified the female suspect in the shooting at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno Tuesday as 39-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam, according to San Bruno police.

Three people were shot and injured in the shooting on Tuesday afternoon before the shooter took her own life, according to authorities.

San Bruno police said Aghdam was a resident of San Diego.

YOUTUBE SHOOTING:

San Bruno police also said Tuesday night that "At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted." Police said the motive remains under investigation.

However, a law enforcement source told CBS News that Aghdam initially asked for one of the male victims by name and that a 9 millimeter weapon was used in the shooting.

One of those injured was the woman's estranged boyfriend, CBS News reported. A fourth person injured her ankle while running from the incident, authorities said.

The shooting happened at around 12:46 p.m. in an outdoor cafe on the grounds of the facility at Cherry Avenue in San Bruno.

The woman believed to be the shooter was found dead.

Mountain View police confirmed that early on Tuesday morning, prior to the shooting, their officers located a woman by the name of Nasim Aghdam asleep in a vehicle in Mountain View.

Police said the license plate on her car matched that of a missing person out of Southern California.

Police said the woman confirmed her identity and answered their questions. The officers then notified her family that she had been located.

CBS Los Angeles spoke with Aghdam's father, who said she had been missing for several days.

Her father said that when officers located her in Northern California, he warned them that she was angry with YouTube.

"We did locate a victim with what we believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," said San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini. "It's a female, but the investigation is still ongoing before we can put all the pieces together."

Barberini said the woman used a handgun during the shooting.

Many YouTube employees were sitting at their desks when the shooting happened.

"I was programming when the fire alarm was pulled," said Zach Voorhies, a senior software engineer at YouTube. "I went outside with my electric skateboard and I started skating down, because I thought it was a fire. I heard some yelling and I saw somebody down on his back with a red spot on his stomach."

Voorhies said he and others were leaving the building when he saw a shooter in a courtyard yelling, "Come at me, or come get me."

Even those who were on the outdoor patio initially thought that the pops were balloons, not gunfire. But once they realized what was happening, the employees fled, only to see their co-workers still trapped outside.

"After we went in and people were going through, I went up to the first floor. And when I was going in, I held the door for two people," said software engineer Sepand Parhami. "But when I went in and let go of the door, I saw there was still a couple of people crouched behind tables. I went to look and see they were still outside and that's when I saw that there was someone in front of the door and the ground."

One witness, YouTube employee Dianna Arnspiger, said she saw the woman pointing the handgun during the incident.

"She had something on her face, like glasses and, like a scarf," said Arnspiger. " We heard boom boom! Everybody kind a looked up and didn't know what it was and I ran to the window because the window behind me looks over the patio and I saw her. It was a woman. And she was firing her gun and I just said 'Shooter! and everybody started running.'"

Barberini said officers encountered a chaotic situation when they arrived.

"We did encounter one victim with an apparent gunshot wound towards the front of the business as we arrived," he said. "Several minutes later while conducting a search of the premises, officers located a second individual with a gunshot wound that may have been self-inflicted."

Barberinisaid two other victims were found several minutes later at an adjacent business.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital spokesman Brent Andrew said the hospital received three shooting victims. "Two females and one male, we have a 32-year-old female who is in serious condition, a 27-year-old female in fair condition, and a 36-year-old male in critical condition," said Andrew. "We're expecting additional patients."

Trauma surgeon Andre Campbell from San Francisco General said he has no knowledge about what kind of firearm was used in the shooting. "Once again we are confronted with the specter of mass casualty situations," Campbell said.

Officials at Stanford Medical Center initially said additional patients were expected there, but both they and San Francisco General Hospital officials have since said no other shooting victims are expected to arrive.

One witness inside the cafe when the shooting occured said he didn't believe it was gunfire, at first.

"It was a surprise, because you don't really expect something like that," he said. "I heard some pops, I obviously thought it was balloons, but then I thought that doesn't make sense, not today. Then I heard more shots and that's when everyone started scrambling for the door."

He said he heard about 15 shots.

Police were seen laying down evidence markers near the seating area of the cafe. Lines of employees were seen being led out of the building with their hands over their heads.

While initial police transmissions described two shooters, one female and one male, it was later determined that there was only one shooter. However, authorities still made a complete sweep of the building after the scene was secured as a matter of protocol.

Authorities said YouTube headquarters was cleared at about 5 p.m., but police and FBI investigators would remain on the scene making a closer inspection for additional evidence that could last for hours.

A YouTube spokesperson made an announcement at the scene early Tuesday evening.

"We are an incredibly tight knit community within YouTube. It feels like a family. Today, it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime," said YouTube Head of Communications Chris Dale. "Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack and our prayers are with them and their families."

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki also posted a message on Twitter about the shooting incident.

Across the street a building that houses the Department of Social Services was placed on lockdown.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein tweeted, "My stomach sinks with yet another active shooter alert. I'm praying for the safety of everyone at YouTube headquarters."

Earlier, Google advised all employees in the Bay area to stay away from the area. The company provided employees a help line. Earlier Google tweeted, "We continue to actively coordinate with local authorities and hospitals. Our Security team has been working closely with authorities to evacuate the buildings and ensure the safety of employees in the area."

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted, "From everyone Apple, we send our sympathy and support to the team at YouTube and Google, especially the victims and their families."

Vadim Lavrusik, who was working at that facility, wrote on Twitter shortly before 1 p.m. that he heard shots and saw people running while at his desk before barricading himself inside a room with other coworkers.

Numerous social media users, including verified accounts linked to YouTube staffers, reported that people were being evacuated from the scene.

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on a shooting and that officials were monitoring developments.

© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

© 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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