A gunman and three women thought to be his hostages were found dead on Friday at a California veterans home after an hours-long standoff with the police.
The assailant struck at 10.20 a.m. (18.20 GMT) at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville in the Napa Valley, the largest veterans’ home in the U.S. with around 1,000 former servicemen and women.
“Shortly before 6 p.m. this evening [Friday], 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.
Motive unclear
The gunman was identified as Albert Wong, 36, a former Army rifleman who served a year in Afghanistan in 2011-2012.
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 was “far too early to say if they were chosen at random” because investigators had not yet determined a motive, Mr. Childs said.
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 to the site.
(With AP inputs)
