YouTube shooting investigated as domestic dispute, sources say

By Jeff Chiu And Sudhin Thanawala, The Associated Press

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — A woman opened fire at YouTube’s headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area Tuesday, wounding three people before she shot and killed herself and prompted panic as employees hid and tried to flee, police and witnesses said.

Two law enforcement sources tell The Associated Press that the shooting is being investigated as a domestic dispute.

Police and witnesses say a woman opened fire at the company headquarters this afternoon, wounding three people before fatally shooting herself.

Officers and federal agents swarmed the company’s headquarters complex in the city of San Bruno as multiple 911 reports came in reporting gunfire.

San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini told reporters that the victims have gunshot wounds and were taken to hospitals.

A spokesman for San Francisco General Hospital says it received three patients.

Spokesman Brent Andrew says a 36-year-old man was in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman was in serious condition and a 27-year-old woman was in fair condition.

A fourth person suffered a minor injury in the scramble to get away.

Television news footage showed people leaving the building in a line, holding their arms in the air for police to inspect as they were leaving the building. Officers patted down people to make sure none had weapons, and police vehicles surrounded the area

YouTube employee Vadim Lavrusik posted on Twitter that he heard gunshots and saw people running. He said he was barricaded in a room with his co-workers before being safely evacuated.

Will Hudson said a friend who works for YouTube texted him about the shooter.

“I think there might be a shooter in my building,” read one text. “The fire alarm went off so we started to evacuate and then people (started) running saying there was a shooter.”

Northern California’s Stanford Hospital said it has received four to five patients, but a hospital spokeswoman did not have information on their conditions or their wounds.

Google, which owns the world’s biggest online video website, posted on Twitter that the company is co-ordinating with authorities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also said it responded to the shooting at YouTube’s suburban campus.

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

Hudson said his friend made it safely back to San Francisco and was in contact with his family. Hudson said he’s become used to hearing about gun violence but has never been so close to it before.

“It just feels strange. It feels like it could really be anyone. That’s really the strangeness of it,” he said.

Calls and emails to YouTube representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned.