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YouTube Shooting: Woman Identified As Nasim Aghdam, 39, Suspected Of Wounding 3

SAN BRUNO (CBS News/CBSLA) -- Terrified employees fled as gunfire rang out at YouTube's sprawling headquarters in San Bruno on Tuesday, prompting a massive police response and evacuation as victims were transported to nearby hospitals.

San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said a woman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three people were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds.

The woman suspected in the shootings has been identified as Nasim Aghdam, 39, of Southern California, CBS News has confirmed. She lived in the Riverside County community of Menifee, authorities believe. Her father told CBS2 News late Tuesday that he had warned YouTube of his daughter's anger toward the video-sharing company.

A law-enforcement source had earlier told CBS News the wounded male was believed to be the suspected shooter's boyfriend. Armed with a 9 mm handgun, Aghdam asked for him by name, authorities told CBS News. Later Tuesday, authorities said they had no evidence she knew anyone who worked at the company's headquarters.

Nasim Aghdam
Nasim Aghdam

Barberini said police arrived on scene at 12:48 p.m. local time as encountered frantic employees fled the building after several shots were reportedly fired at the outdoor cafe on YouTube's campus. "It was very chaotic as you can imagine," he said.

Responding officers encountered one victim with a gunshot wound toward the front of the building before finding the deceased suspect, Barberini said. Several minutes later, police located two additional victims at an adjacent building.

Employees at the YouTube offices in Playa Vista were given the option to go home after the shooting at the company's headquarters, according to CBS2's Joy Benedict.

Hospital update on victims

A spokesman for San Francisco General Hospital told CBS News it has received three patients: a 36-year-old man in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman in serious condition and a 27-year-old woman in fair condition.

Heavily armed police surrounded the facility, with armed SWAT vehicles stationed outside. Police officers could be seen patting down employees evacuating the campus to a nearby parking lot, where they were surrounded by police cars.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump has been briefed on the shooting and they are "monitoring the ongoing situation."

On Twitter, Mr. Trump as well as Apple CEO Tim Cook offered thoughts and prayers to those affected in the shooting.

The FBI and San Francisco Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it was responding to the scene.

Several employees tweeted they heard gunfire Tuesday afternoon. Vadim Lavrusik said he barricaded himself and others inside a room before they were able to escape safely.

Google, YouTube's parent company, said in a statement that they are "coordinating with authorities and will provide official information here from Google and YouTube as it becomes available."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is doing everything they can to support the victims and their families.

"I know a lot of you are in shock right now. Over the coming days, we will continue to provide support to help everyone in our Google family heal from this unimaginable tragedy," Pichai said in a statement.

Where is San Bruno?

The headquarters is about 12 miles south of downtown San Francisco, close to San Francisco International Airport. It encompasses about 200,000 square feet, and YouTube leases the building from Gap, Inc., according to a 2017 article in the San Francisco Business Times.

Google says there are more than 1,100 employees at the office and that YouTube is San Bruno's largest employer, with a variety of people dedicated engineering and sales.

The owner of a nearby restaurant told CBS News he was outside smoking a cigarette when he heard several pops. Denny, who didn't want to give his last name, said there was a brief pause in the gunfire before it continued. He said he heard a total of about 15 to 17 shots.

"It went on for awhile, those shots, it wasn't like emptying the clip like 'boom boom boom,' it was more of a slower pace," Denny said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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