International

Female suspect dead, several hurt in YouTube shooting

YouTube shooting

April 04, 2018 | 09:37 AM
Police officers stand by in front of the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.
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."The deceased suspect was identified as 39-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam from San Diego in southern California.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."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."I know a lot of you are in shock right now," Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said in a message to employees shared by the company on Twitter."I am grateful to everyone inside and outside the company for the outpouring of support and best wishes."
YouTube employees are seen walking away following a shooting. He thanked emergency workers for springing into action to help, and said that he and YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki were focused on supporting employees in the aftermath of the violence."There are no words to describe how horrible it was to have an active shooter @YouTube today," Wojcicki wrote."Our hearts go out to all those injured and impacted today. We will come together to heal as a family."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%.Barberini said the injured "have been transported and are being treated for injuries that are treatable."Frantic escapeEmployees 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.Sherman said that as he headed for an exit, "someone said that there was a person with a gun," adding that "at that point every new person I saw was a potential shooter."Shermantarget="_blank"'>Organisers of the March for Our Lives sent a message of solidarity to the employees hit by the latest shooting, tweeting: "Our hearts are with you, @YouTube."
April 04, 2018 | 09:37 AM