Two people were killed and two others were wounded Tuesday in an active shooting near a polling place in Azusa, authorities said.
The shooter was described as heavily armed, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Scroggin.
Azusa police urged residents to stay out of the area and asked all residents to shelter in place.
Lt. John Corina of L.A. County Sheriff’s Department confirms suspect is dead
Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department discusses the shooting in Azusa. Video by Gina Ferazzi
Police confirm Azusa shooter was a man found dead inside home
Investigators confirmed late Tuesday that the gunman who allegedly killed one person and wounded two people in the San Gabriel Valley was found dead inside an Azusa home.
The gunman’s identity was not released, but Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said the man opened fire at responding officers.
Next, he apparently holed up inside a home where SWAT officers later found him.
It’s unclear if he died from gunshots fired by police or from a self-inflicted wound. Corina said investigators were trying to determine a motive.
“We’re in the process of figuring out why this happened,” Corina said.
Azusa police initially said that the shooter was a heavily armed female who had an assault rifle. Police later walked back that description, and Corina chalked up the error to “misinformation” amid a shifting scenario.
“We found no evidence of a female or anybody else assisting this person,” he said.
Who is Azusa shooter? Man armed with an assault rifle who was found dead inside home
Authorities said the gunman who carried out a shooting Tuesday in Azusa was found dead inside a home.
Police initially said the shooter was a female, but Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said it was a man.
“There’s a lot of rumors flying around,” Corina said, chalking up the reports of a female shooter to “misinformation.”
It’s unclear if the shooter died after exchanging gunfire with police or succumbed to a self-inflicted wound.
Several witnesses interviewed by The Times said the shooter was a man.
Investigators were examining the possibility of a second shooter.
“It’s very early to tell what the motive is, but it appears to be concentrated on the residential side, not at the polling station,” Azusa police Chief Steve Hunt said.
SWAT officers at Azusa home
Azusa shooting victims: Dead person identified as man in his 70s
Multiple people shoot in Azusa (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
At least one person has died after a shooting Tuesday in Azusa.
The sole person who was confirmed as dead was identified as a man in his 70s, according to Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Ron Singleton.
Two other people were airlifted to an area hospital.
At least one of the victims was headed to the polling station to vote, a law enforcement source told The Times.
2 schools in Azusa locked down after gunfire erupts
Two schools in Azusa were locked down after gunfire erupted Tuesday, police said.
Both Slauson Middle School and Mountain View Elementary School were placed on lockdown, according to Azusa Police Chief Steve Hunt.
Linda Kaminski, the superintendent of Azusa Unified School District, said students and staff at both schools will be kept in locked classrooms.
“Azusa Unified personnel are actively communicating with parents and working with authorities to ensure that both school are secure,” Kaminski said.
Witness to Azusa shooting: Gunman is frequent visitor to neighbor’s house
Roberto Chavez, 67, and his wife were sitting outside on their porch when they saw a heavily-armed man fire at least 10 rounds at a group of people.
Police quickly responded, Chavez said.
About 20 officers swarmed into the neighborhood in the 600 block of West Fourth Street, he said.
The gunman, who wore a white shirt and black pants, ran into a home about three doors down from Chavez’s house, he said.
Chavez said he recognized the man as someone who frequently visits and hangs out at his neighbor’s home. He didn’t know the man’s name. He said some of the victims appeared to be neighbors in the area.
Police told him to remain indoors because the gunman had barricaded himself inside a home.
“It’s a very dangerous situation,” he said.
Voters in Azusa urged to head to other polling places: ‘Avoid the area’
After gunfire erupted in Azusa, Los Angeles County election officials said that two polling places were placed on lockdown, and voters were urged to head to alternate locations.
Dean Logan, the man who oversees elections in Los Angeles County, said the polling place at Memorial Park in the 300 block of North Orange Avenue was locked down.
“Voters should avoid the area and, if necessary, cast a ballot at an alternate polling location,” Logan said in a message posted on Twitter.
The Dalton Elementary School polling place in the 500 block of East 10th Street was briefly locked down, but Logan said Tuesday evening that the site had reopened.
City officials told residents to cast their ballots at Foothill Community Church in the 700 block of East Alosta Avenue.
‘Volatile and critical’ situation at site of Azusa shooting
Gunfire has erupted Tuesday afternoon near a polling place in Azusa, a small city in the San Gabriel Valley.
The shooting occurred about 2 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in the area of Fourth Street and Orange Avenue, said Officer Jerry Willison of the Azusa Police Department.
“This is a very volatile and critical situation,” he said.
At least one person was reported dead and several were injured, authorities said.