Workplace hostage situation ends with four dead; Suspect told to leave facility earlier in the week
Three women were taken hostage and executed yesterday during a deadly case of workplace violence at a veterans home in Yountville, California.
The victims have been identified as Christine Loeber, the facility's executive director, Dr. Jen Golick, a therapist, and Dr. Jennifer Gonzales, a psychologist with the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. They were reportedly taken hostage during a staff meeting.
Source: New York Daily News
The active shooter incident began after the suspected gunman burst into the facility armed with an automatic rifle. He exchanged gunfire with law enforcement. The suspect has been identified as Albert Wong, 36.
After holding the women hostage for approximately eight hours, Wong's body was found along with the murdered women by first responders.
A man named Larry Kamer told ABC7 News that his wife, Devereaux Smith, and six other women were attending a going-away party for a colleague when the rifle-yielding suspect broke in. Per Kamer he let four of the women go, including his wife, and held the three remaining women hostage.
The facility where the carnage occurred has been named as Pathway Home, a privately run entity that has been described as treating veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
California Sen. Bill Dodd has stated the suspected gunman was a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who had served in the Middle East. He had been asked to leave the facility earlier in the week, according to the Napa Democrat.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, individuals employed in the health care field run a greater risk of workplace violence than workers in other industries.
Sources:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/shots-fired-veterans-home-northern-california-n855281
www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-veterans-hostages-20180309-story.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/california-veterans-home-lockdown-gunman-takes-hostages-article-1.3865440
www.osha.gov