The gunman and three people who were taken hostage at a California veterans’ home were found dead Friday evening, according to reports.
The victims were identified as staffers at The Pathway House therapy center, AP reports—Program Executive Director Christine Loeber, 48; Jennifer Golick, a therapist, 42; and Jennifer Gonzalez, a clinical psychologist with the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, 29.
These are the 3 victims killed in the Yountville hostage situation today. https://t.co/ufEqAGtWuw pic.twitter.com/uutmZOHcg6
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) March 10, 2018
Authorities told AP that the shooter, Albert Wong, 36, had entered the facility during a going-away party for employees of The Pathway Home. Wong was a former patient of The Pathway Home, a nonprofit rehabilitation center for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Chris Childs, California Highway Patrol assistant chief, said it was still too early to tell if the victims were chosen at random or determine a motive.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that an “active shooter hostage situation” was taking place at Yountville Veterans Home in Yountville, California just hours earlier.
CHP has brought in a significant amount of resources in an effort to end the active shooter hostage situation at Yountville Veterans Home of California. We will conduct s press conference at 2PM. pic.twitter.com/HPU5K68gfo
— CHP Golden Gate (@CHP_GoldenGate) March 9, 2018
“These Brave Women were accomplished professionals who dedicated their careers to serving our nation’s veterans, working closely with those in the greatest need of attention after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan,” The Pathway Home said in a statement.
“All of us at The Pathway Home are devastated by today’s events. We stand with the families, friends, and colleagues who share in this terrible loss.”
Shots were fired around 10:30am. Hostage negotiators had spent several hours attempting to contact the gunman at the facility but were unable to do so, highway patrol spokesman Sgt. Robert Nacke said, according to CNN.
The Yountville Veterans Home houses approximately 1,000 aged or disabled veterans from World War II, the Vietnam War, the wars in Iraq, and others, according to its website. The home was founded in 1884.
The website says it is the largest veterans home in the United States.
Check back for more on this developing story.