A woman with a gun opened fire at YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, California, on Tuesday. The outburst of violence began at 12:45 PM when an unidentified female shooter wounded three people before turning the gun on herself. In a report by the Associated Press, the shooter hid her identity by wearing a scarf and sunglasses and was armed with what was described as a “huge pistol.”

The terrifying ordeal began at the company’s courtyard when witnesses claimed that the shooter randomly opened fire. Workers frantically ran for their lives, seeking shelter in YouTube’s office building, screaming that there was an active shooter on site.

When police arrived, officers found the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Two of her victims has been released from the hospital, while one victim remains in critical condition.

The shooter and the motive

Nasim Najafi Aghdam, 38, was reportedly upset in a post, which claimed YouTube purposely restricted her videos. Police have discovered a website that could possibly match the shooter, and is now investigating its authenticity. The website shows a woman displaying concerns of unfairness against YouTube due to censorship and revenue. Aghdam’s YouTube channel is dedicated to extreme veganism and discussed animal rights passionately.

A post on her website reads: “There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!” Other posts were made claiming that YouTube was controlling her channel and purposely filtering videos or putting age restrictions on them to decrease the number of views.

On Tuesday, before the shooting, it was reported that Aghdam practiced at a gun range for hours before the horrifying attack. The weapon she used was a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at YouTube’s campus. Police confirmed there was no connection between the shooter and the victims. The shooting was done at random.

Warning signs before the San Bruno shooting

Aghdam’s family said in a statement, that their daughter felt she had been “cheated” out of revenue. Aghdam was worried since that was her only source of income. Before the shooting on Tuesday, Aghdam’s brother warned police that his sister “might do something,” the weekend leading up to the attack.

His concerns escalated after Aghdam disappeared on Monday and stopped answering her phone. He knew of his sister’s problem with YouTube, which made him think the worse.

The Mountain View Police discovered Aghdam in her car parked in a lot before the shooting, after her brother, who wishes to remain unidentified, called about his missing sister. Police stated they did not notice anything alarming or abnormal about her behavior, nor did she mention anything about YouTube. Police called Aghdam’s brother but claims he did not mention any potential acts of violence against YouTube headquarters.

The shooting lasted roughly around six minutes.
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