A woman has opened fire at the YouTube headquarters in California, injuring at least three people before killing herself, officials and witnesses say. It is being treated as an act of domestic violence.
The incident began at 12:46 p.m. PT on Tuesday when police were called to reports of an active shooter at the YouTube headquarters, which is located in San Bruno, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of San Francisco.
Employees described a chaotic scene as people barricaded themselves inside offices or fled from the building, where some 1,700 people work. Several witnesses said they had heard at least 10 to 20 gunshots.
Todd Sherman, who works at YouTube, said he was in a meeting when he and his colleagues felt the floor rumble because people had started to run. “First thought was [an] earthquake,” he said on Twitter.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said officers arrived on the scene within two minutes and found a victim near the front of the building. A woman – believed to be suspect – was found a short time later and died at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Two other victims were found at an adjacent business but are believed to have been shot at the YouTube headquarters, officials said. All three victims were rushed to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment.
A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed that a 36-year-old man is in critical condition and a 32-year-old woman is in serious condition. The third victim, a 27-year-old woman, is in fair condition.
The suspect – whose name was not immediately released – has been described as a woman in her 30s. The shooting is being treated as an act of domestic violence, as investigators note that one of the victims is believed to be the woman’s boyfriend.
Other details were not immediately known.
Google, which owns YouTube, said in a statement that it was working with local authorities. All employees and people who were scheduled to have meetings have been told to stay away from the YouTube office in San Bruno.
President Donald Trump said he received a briefing about the shooting. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene,” he said in a tweet.
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