1 killed, 4 hurt in shooting at Simi Valley dental office

One person was killed and four others were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a dental office in Simi Valley.

Paramedics and firefighters were delayed by about an hour in their attempts to treat the wounded because the gunman was still inside when they responded to the report of a shooting about 10:30 a.m. at Family Dental Care, said Bill Nash, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The suspected shooter later surrendered at the scene and was under interrogation, said Sgt. Adam Darough of the Simi Valley Police Department. The man’s appearance before a judge and possible charges were pending the results of the interview, Darough said.

Four people were taken to hospitals with minor to moderate injuries, and a fifth was pronounced dead at a hospital, Nash said.

Across the street from the shooting, Brenda Sharma, 48, said she was sitting behind the counter at Venture Liquors on Sinaloa Road when she heard a siren.

Sharma said she saw an officer get out of the cruiser and draw her gun. “Next thing you know, there’s 25 cops, then a SWAT team,” she said.

An employee of the dental clinic who was shopping at the liquor store saw the emergency vehicles arrive and called a co-worker inside the office. The colleague said she and another employee had locked themselves in a room to escape the shooter.

Others in the area took refuge in the store while the gunman remained inside the clinic until police advised the shop to close.

“They told me I was in the line of fire,” Sharma said.

--

ruben.vives@latimes.com