2 Injured, 3 Dead in Irwindale Office Shooting

A Southern California Edison employee, armed with a rifle, shot four people Friday in an Irwindale building that houses company offices, then apparently killed himself.

Two victims were dead and two others injured, Baldwin Park police said.

"The shooter is deceased. We believe it's a self-inflicted wound but we don't know right now," said Capt. Michael Taylor of the Baldwin Park Police Department.

"We're trying to piece it all together to get a true picture of what actually went on," Taylor said. The scene was described as "pandemonium."

Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said investigators from his office had not yet been called to the shooting scene. No information on the victims' identifications will be available until the next of kin are notified, he said.

By late afternoon, SoCal Edison had confirmed the suspected shooter was an employee. The company said it is offering counseling for workers and establishing a fund for those affected by the shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims," said company spokesman Gil Alexander.

Following the shooting, employees were cleared from the offices and a SWAT team went room by room through the building.

"Our homicide detectives are the ones that are going to be conducting the criminal investigation but the holdup right now is our SWAT team is still clearing the location," said Lt. John Hocking of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Concerned relatives of employees gathered outside the building after hearing of the news.

"I came as soon as I heard about the shooting. My mom is in there. I hope she is OK," said Monica Salazar from Covina. "My mom is everything to me."
 
Ron Orona from El Monte was waiting to hear about his daughter. "She is still in the building. She texted me she is OK, but I am concerned; I see too much cops here."

Several police agencies around the San Gabriel Valley responded to the shooting, including those from Monrovia and Baldwin Park.

Two nearby schools were locked down after the shooting, but students were dismissed once it was deemed safe.

Lisa Sullivan, assistant to the Baldwin Park Unified School District superintendent, told Patch that the district conducted a "staggered release" of students at Olive Middle School.

"They’re being released directly to parents," she said.

Walnut Elementary was also on lockdown for a period of time but students were released from that school at the regularly scheduled time.

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