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Sniper Kills Two, Self

A man firing a pistol from the lobby of an apartment building killed two people and wounded two others Friday before killing himself, police said.

The dead included a young woman and an elderly man, said Detective Carlos Negron, a spokesman for Hollywood police. He did not release their names.

One of the two wounded women was 12 weeks pregnant. A surgeon at Hollywood Memorial Regional Hospital says she was hit four times in the arms and chest. However, he says the fetus is still alive.

The other wounded woman is also in critical condition with a gunshot wound in the head.

Police say the gunman, who lived in the building, left a suicide note in his apartment and had been under psychiatric care. He was found in the lobby with a gunshot wound to the head.

The shootings were initially reported at 10:46 a.m. at the Town House Apartments on Hollywood's Young Circle, a busy neighborhood with businesses and residences. The gun apparently fired randomly with a five-shot revolver.

When police arrived, they saw a woman who had been shot walking around the east side of the building, and placed her in an emergency vehicle.

Police saw another female victim in the lobby trying to open the door, and they pulled her out.

The gunman exchanged shots with police as the area was sealed off and a SWAT team was called in. Police set up a perimeter for two blocks around.

Live news telecasts from helicopters showed officers dragging one person out of the line of fire, placing the victim on the trunk of a squad care and driving slowly away, one officer riding along and leaning over the person.

Negron said the gunman was a 35-year-old white man, dressed all in black.

Rocky McDonald, 37, said he saw a woman's body with blood on the chest after leaving his apartment and taking the elevator down to the lobby.

He said the gunman shot at him but missed as he tried to check on the female victim. The shooter told him to get away from her, and McDonald ran to the staircase and up to the third floor.

"I thought this might be my day. If he wanted to he could have shot me then, but he didn't. I guess there's another purpose for me to be here a little longer," a shaken McDonald said, holding his girlfriend.

Judith McCray, 46, who lives on second floor, said she thought the first gunshots were firecrackers. She went down to the lobby on the elevator and saw three people down, with shattered glass around them.

McCray heard someone shout, "Come out with your hands up!" She said she stayed in the elevator, terrified, and let the doors close.

"I have never felt like this. I was so scared," McCray said. "I didn't know if it was the shooter."

McCray later came down a stairwell with other residents and left the building.

Tony Nunoz, 32, who lives nearby, said he heard shots and ran for cover, then went out to see what was happening.

He said he saw a victim's husband crying and hitting his car.

"I'm in shock," Nunoz said. "You hae to see this happen anywhere, let alone in your own neighborhood."

©MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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