CRIME NEWS
Gunman Kills Himself, Hostages (3 Women)
After A Long Standoff With Police
A gunman and three women thought to be his hostages
were found dead Friday at a California veterans home after an hours-long
standoff with police.
The assailant struck at 10:20 am (1820 GMT) at the
Veterans Home of California-Yountville in the Napa Valley, the largest
veterans’ home in the United States with around 1,000 former servicemen and
women.
“Shortly before 6:00 pm this evening law enforcement
personnel made entry into the room where we felt the hostages were being held
by the suspect and unfortunately made the discovery of three deceased females
and one deceased male suspect,” Captain Chris Childs of the California Highway
Patrol told a news conference.
“This is a tragic piece of news, one we were really
hoping we wouldn’t have to come before the public to give.”
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office had earlier issued
an advisory on social media telling people to avoid the area following reports
of gunfire, as the California Highway Patrol dispatched officers, air support
and a SWAT team to the site.
Childs said a sheriff’s deputy who was first on the
scene exchanged fire with the suspect, adding that “we credit him with saving
the lives of others in the area by eliminating the ability for the suspect to
go out and find further victims.”
The three victims were described by local media as
employees of The Pathway Home, an on-site counseling service for veterans who
suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It is was not immediately clear whether they had
been targeted or were chosen at random.
The San Francisco Chronicle said the gunman —
apparently a 36-year-old war veteran wearing “a stash of bullets” around his
neck and waist — had been on the PTSD treatment program, adding that his weapon
was a rifle.
– Gunman was calm –
It quoted state senator Bill Dodd identifying the
program’s executive director, Christine Loeber, as being one of the dead,
although the victims’ names have not been officially released.
Police did not say how they died, although local
media, citing unnamed sources, reported that the assailant shot the three women
before turning the gun on himself.
Dodd, whose district includes the center, said the
gunman had been asked to leave several days earlier, according to the Chronicle.
“It’s a residential program so guys live in the
building, staff work in the building,” Larry Kamer, whose wife Devereaux Smith
was working at the center, told the local ABC7 News channel.
Smith, a development director for The Pathway Home,
was one of four women released by the gunman, said Kamer.
“There was a going away party for a couple of the
staff who were leaving today. They were having cake and toasting and all that
and then he apparently just walked in with this rifle.”
Kamer said the gunman was calm and talked to
everyone present.
The discovery came after several fruitless hours of
trying to contact the man by the sheriff’s department, City of Napa Police and
the FBI.
California Department of Veterans Affairs secretary
Vito Imbasciani said in a statement the agency was “devastated” by the deaths.
“Our hearts are heavy for the entire Yountville
Veterans Home community and the families and friends who are grieving for those
who died,” he added.
“Nothing matters more than caring for our veterans
and employees during this difficult time. We appreciate the tremendous law
enforcement response today and unfailing support of this community.”
AFP
Please Share
This Post
Five people have been confirmed dead as bandits
attacked Bena, a town in Danko-Wasagu local government area of Kebbi State.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has denied
reports that some unknown gunmen shot at a train on the Kaduna-Abuja rail
service.
