Widespread panic ensued when a female suspect entered YouTube’s headquarters building in San Bruno, California, and opened fired on employees around lunchtime on Tuesday, March 3, before taking her own life. The attack left three others injured with gunshot wounds.
Police have now identified the suspect as 39-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam from San Diego, California, according to a statement released by the San Bruno police department on April 3.
Sources have confirmed that Aghdam is a user of the video viewing platform and ran a website that targeted YouTube for its censorship and demonetization of her video content, reported ABC News.
Investigators initially believed that the shooting was a domestic incident and that she may have been targeting someone at the YouTube facility. However, the police statement at 10:25 p.m. said “there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted.”
The suspected shooter in today’s YouTube incident has been identified. Please see press release for details – https://t.co/Xvr2l9bB9s pic.twitter.com/NEBoX3WWK5
— San Bruno Police (@SanBrunoPolice) April 4, 2018
According to Aghdam’s father, his daughter had been venting to the family that YouTube had stopped payments to her for her video content, reported the Bay Area News Group. He said the family had called police to report Aghdam missing on Monday after she didn’t answer her phone for two days. He said he had told police that he believed she might go to YouTube because she “hated” the company.
On her website, she claims that YouTube has suppressed and stifled the traffic to her videos.
“Youtube filtered my channels to keep them from getting views!” the website reads.
“There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!”
Photo of Nasim Aghdam from a PETA protest in 2009 pic.twitter.com/5IOyGfRXNM
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018
The website also includes videos promoting veganism, and photos of a woman, believed to be Aghdam, in dresses and leotards. The website also includes embedded videos from other YouTube creators who talked about the drop in traffic and de-monetization of videos.
The 38-year-old has also created a video to express her concerns about YouTube.
WATCH: YOUTUBE HQ PERSIAN FEMALE SHOOTER NASIM AGHDAM RANTING AGAINST YOUTUBE pic.twitter.com/9qi42xZNtw
— Divine Neet (@DivineNeet) April 4, 2018
Mountain View police called the family at 2 a.m. on Tuesday to confirm Aghdam was fine after finding her asleep in her car, the father told the news group. He said he did not know that she had a gun.
Aghdam’s YouTube videos have now mostly been removed. The video streaming website showed that Aghdam’s pages had been “terminated due to multiple or severe violations of YouTube’s policy against spam, deceptive practices, and misleading content or other Terms of Service violations.”
Aghdam other social media accounts have also been removed or deactivated. She posted online using English and Farsi, the official language of Iran, reported Newshub. Aghdam’s parents are believed to be Iranian, according to CBS News.
The shooting occurred after 12 p.m. in an outdoor patio and dining area of the facility. Officials said the firearm used was a 9mm handgun.
Heavily armed police responded to the active shooting as employees ran from the building. After an initial search, police found Aghdam dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three other people — a 36-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman, and a 27-year-old woman — were transported to local hospitals with gunshot wounds, reported CBS News.
President Donald Trump said the White House had been briefed about the shooting and thanked law enforcement officers and first responders for their phenomenal response to the incident in a tweet on April 3.
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. 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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2018
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said there are no other threats to the community.
“Following an initial search to identify any immediate threats, a perimeter was established with the assistance of responding officers from several allied police agencies. Tactical teams then conducted a thorough search of the campus located at 901 Cherry Avenue. No other suspects were located, nor are there additional suspects believed to be associated at this time,” the statement said.
The police investigation is currently ongoing. San Bruno said they will be holding a press conference 9 a.m. tomorrow morning local time.
The next press conference is scheduled for 9am tomorrow morning outside of the San Bruno Police Department, 1177 Huntington Ave.
— San Bruno Police (@SanBrunoPolice) April 4, 2018
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