YouTube headquarters shooting

Coordinates: 37°37′41″N 122°25′35″W / 37.62816°N 122.42630°W / 37.62816; -122.42630 (Shooting)
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BiObserver (talk | contribs) at 15:02, 8 April 2018 (→‎Perpetrator: Adding more information about the perpetrator's views on faith and veganism and how she connected these two.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

YouTube headquarters shooting
YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno, California
San Bruno is located in San Francisco
San Bruno
San Bruno
San Bruno (San Francisco)
San Bruno is located in San Francisco Bay Area
San Bruno
San Bruno
San Bruno (San Francisco Bay Area)
San Bruno is located in California
San Bruno
San Bruno
San Bruno (California)
San Bruno is located in the United States
San Bruno
San Bruno
San Bruno (the United States)
LocationYouTube headquarters
901 Cherry Avenue
San Bruno, California, U.S.
Coordinates37°37′41″N 122°25′35″W / 37.62816°N 122.42630°W / 37.62816; -122.42630 (Shooting) (shooting)
DateApril 3, 2018 (PST, UTC−8)
Attack type
Shooting
WeaponsSemi-automatic pistol (Smith & Wesson 9 mm)
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)[1]
Injured4[2]
PerpetratorNasim Najafi Aghdam[3]
MotiveYouTube policies and practices[4]

On April 3, 2018, at 12:46 p.m. PDT,[5] a shooting occurred at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, which is 12 miles (19 kilometres) south of San Francisco.[6][7] The suspect was later identified as a 39-year-old woman, Nasim Najafi Aghdam. She entered through an exterior parking garage, approached an outdoor patio and opened fire with a Smith & Wesson 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol. Aghdam wounded three people, one of them critically, before fatally shooting herself.[7][8]

San Bruno police said that "the investigation is now looking into a website that appears to show the same woman complaining about YouTube stifling traffic and suppressing videos."[9]

The shooting was a rare example of an active shooter incident committed solely by a woman; a 2014 FBI study reported that women perpetrated just six out of 160 active shooter incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013.[7][10]

Background

Nasim Aghdam legally bought a 9mm Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol from a San Diego gun dealer on January 16, 2018.[11] On March 31, 2018, Aghdam's family reported to the police that Nasim Aghdam was missing,[4] According to her father, she "hated" YouTube, and the family was worried she might be traveling to the company's offices.[12][13]

The morning before the shooting, police officers contacted Aghdam when they found her sleeping in her car in a Walmart parking lot in Mountain View, 25 miles south of YouTube's headquarters.[14][15] The officers did not identify her as a threat. It is not clear if these police officers were aware of the concerns of Aghdam's father.[16] Aghdam visited a shooting range the day before the rampage.[15] Police believe she was motivated by her displeasure at the policies and procedures of censorship of the YouTube channels that she maintained.[17][18] She complained about YouTube on her website,[19][20] writing "Youtube filtered my channels to keep them from getting views!", and that it demonetized most of her videos.[21]

Shooting

At 12:46pm, San Bruno police received reports of a shooter at the YouTube headquarters.[22] Aghdam's weapon had a capacity of 10 rounds, and she emptied one magazine before reloading.[23] Aghdam took her own life with a gunshot wound to her head, two days shy of her 40th birthday.[3][24][25][17] Helicopter footage later showed a large hole and broken glass in the building's lobby doors.[26] Initial reports incorrectly described the shooting as that of a scorned lover in a domestic dispute shooting her boyfriend.[27]

The San Mateo County Sheriff and local San Bruno Police responded to the scene, and advised the public to keep out of the area.[28] Multiple YouTube employees posted on Twitter and Snapchat to share live ongoing updates from the headquarters.[29]

Victims

Two hospitals, the San Francisco General Hospital and the Stanford University Medical Center, treated the victims from the incident.[24][8] Four injuries were reported.[2][30][31] The identified victims are a 36-year-old man in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman in fair condition, and a 27-year-old woman in stable condition.[32] Another person injured her ankle while fleeing the building.[2]

Perpetrator

The perpetrator was identified by police as Nasim Najafi Aghdam (April 5, 1978 – April 3, 2018), a vegan activist and bodybuilder. She was born in Urmia, Iran, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1996.[33][34][35] She was a registered member of the Bahá'í Faith[36] and described how veganism was aligned with her Baha’i faith[37] but was critical of Muslim and Baha’i tradition of animal sacrifice.[38] She was 39 years old and lived with her grandmother in San Diego, California.[34][35] She posted content on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube in Persian, Azeri, English, and Turkish.[34] Her content went viral on Iranian social media and drew widespread attention.[39] She had previously protested against the use of pigs in United States Marine Corps training procedures for victims of trauma.[40]

Reactions

President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and tweeted "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."[7][31] Other notable politicians who tweeted their condolences include Vice President Mike Pence, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senator Dianne Feinstein.[41][42][43]

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote on Twitter: "There are no words to describe how horrible it was to have an active shooter @YouTube today. Our deepest gratitude to law enforcement & first responders for their rapid response. Our hearts go out to all those injured & impacted today. We will come together to heal as a family."[44] Google CEO Sundar Pichai echoed these sentiments on Twitter, and sent an email to his employees describing the shooting as an "unimaginable tragedy" and a "horrific act of violence."[45] Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos, the CEOs of Apple, and Amazon respectively, also offered their condolences.[46][47] Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and Box CEO Aaron Levie called for stricter gun control legislation.[48]

References

  1. ^ D'Onfro, Jillian (April 3, 2018). "Female suspect in YouTube HQ shooting is dead: NBC News". Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c CNN, Darran Simon,. "Trauma surgeon in YouTube shooting vents his frustration over gun violence". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Woman who allegedly carried out YouTube shooting is identified by police". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Coldeway, Devin; Hatmaker, Taylor (April 4, 2018). "Police say shooter's anger over YouTube policies 'appears to be the motive'". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  5. ^ Allen, Karma (April 4, 2018). "Family of alleged YouTube shooter warned police 'she might do something'". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Shooter dead, at least 3 injured in YouTube shooting, police say". KRON. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c d Astor, Maggie; Salam, Maya (April 3, 2018). "YouTube Shooting: Woman Wounds 3 Before Killing Herself, Police Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b "Shooting at YouTube HQ in California". BBC News. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Tchekmedyian, Alene; Winton, Richard. "Mountain View police found Nasim Aghdam sleeping in car hours before YouTube shooting". LA Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Lyons, Jenna (April 5, 2018). "YouTube shooter purchased gun in January in San Diego". SFGate. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Choi, David (April 4, 2018). "Father of the suspected YouTube shooter reportedly told police his daughter was 'angry' with the company, warned that she might travel to its office". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Family of alleged YouTube shooter warned police 'she might do something'". ABC News. April 4, 2018. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "YouTube Shooter's Brother Said He Called Police, Warned Them in Advance After Sister Reported Missing". ktla.com. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Yan, Holly; Karimi, Faith (April 4, 2018). "YouTube shooter visited gun range before attack, police say". CNN. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  16. ^ "Police reportedly found and questioned Nasim Aghdam on the morning of the YouTube shooting, then let her go". businessinsider.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  17. ^ a b "YouTube attacker was vegan activist who accused tech firm of discrimination". CNBC. No. April 4, 2018. Reuters. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. a video posted on Aghnam's YouTube channel before it was taken down on Tuesday, showed her {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Machkovech, Sam (April 4, 2018). "Tragic YouTube shooting casts new light on creators' "adpocalypse" complaints [Updated] Alleged shooter left a video behind with complaints about revenue. What's going on?". Arstechnica.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Nasim Aghdam. "Nasim Aghdam's website". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Michael Balsamo and Ryan Nakashima (April 4, 2018). "YouTube shooter told family she 'hated' the company". CTV News/Associated Press.
  21. ^ "YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam was vegan who complained about 'suppression'". NBC News. April 4, 2018. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "YouTube shooting: Timetable of events". April 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "YouTube shooter legally purchased firearm in San Diego earlier this year".
  24. ^ a b "Female suspect dead in shooting at YouTube's HQ in San Bruno, California". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Bush, Shira. "YouTube shooting injures 4, woman believed to be shooter dead, police say". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "YouTube shooter's parents: 'She never hurt one ant, how she shoot the people?'".
  27. ^ "YouTube shooter wasn't a scorned lover — so why did so many jump to that conclusion?". April 7, 2018.
  28. ^ Sampathkumar, Mythili. "YouTube HQ: Active shooter reportedly firing on campus". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Kosoff, Maya. "YouTube Employees Describe Chaos as Gunman Attacks Headquarters". The Hive. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Dave, Paresh. "Shots fired at YouTube offices in California, casualties reported". Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ a b "Active Shooter, Casualties Reported At YouTube Headquarters". CBS San Francisco. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "YouTube Shooting: Woman Wounds 3 Before Killing Herself, Police Say". Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Brent Andrew, a spokesman for the hospital, said at a news conference that a 36-year-old man was in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman in serious condition and a 27-year-old woman in fair condition. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Haag, Matthew; Dias, Elizabeth (April 4, 2018). "Sleeping In Car and Visiting Gun Range: How YouTube Attacker Spent Final Hours". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ a b c "La police s'interroge sur les motivations de l'auteure de la fusillade au siège de Youtube". Le Monde. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Gosk, Stephanie; Rainey, James; McGee, Courtney; Connor, Tracy (April 4, 2018). "YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam's father says she wouldn't hurt an ant". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ Jenkins, Jack (April 6, 2018). "The 'Splainer: The YouTube shooter's Baha'i faith". Religion News Service. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  37. ^ "YouTube suspect's interview: Peace through veganism". The Mercury News. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  38. ^ Orfanides, Effie (April 17, 2012). "Nasim Aghdam: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved April 8, 2018.
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  40. ^ Kristina Davis (August 13, 2009). "PETA protests military's use of pigs in training". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. Nasim Aghdam (front) demonstrated with a plastic sword against the Marines' killing of pigs in a military exercise. "For me, animal rights equal human rights," Aghdam said. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Praying for the injured & their families. Grateful to ATF and all law enforcement & first responders who responded today and have been on the scene". @VP on Twitter. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "My stomach sinks with yet another active shooter alert. I'm praying for the safety of everyone at YouTube headquarters". @SenFeinstein on Twitter. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "My staff & I are closely following developments from the active shooter situation at YouTube HQ in San Bruno, CA. Thank you to our heroic first responders. Our Bay Area community – and all American communities – deserve real action to #EndGunViolence". @NancyPelosi on Twitter. April 3, 2018. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ Griffin, Andrew (April 4, 2018). "YouTube Shooting: Senior Staff at Google Respond to Attack on Video Site's Headquarters". The Independent. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  45. ^ Canales, Katie (April 3, 2018). "Read the email Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent employees about the YouTube shooting". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ Van Boom, Daniel (April 3, 2018). "Apple, Amazon and more react to YouTube HQ shooting". CNET. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  47. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (April 3, 2018). "Silicon Valley CEOs extend condolences after YouTube shooting". Fox Business. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  48. ^ Rodriguez, Salvador (April 3, 2018). "Tech CEOs call for gun control following YouTube shooting". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links