BREAKING NEWS: SIX dead and five wounded as 'gunmen sets building ablaze and opens fire on random vehicles outside Santa Monica college - just a couple of miles from where Obama is attending fundraiser
- Police say a gunman opened fire near Southern California's Santa Monica College and several people have been injured
- Suspected shooter, a man in his 20s or early 30s, was shot dead by police
By JAMES NYE
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A gunman with an assault-style rifle killed at least six people in Santa Monica on Friday before police shot him to death in a gunfight in the Santa Monica College library, authorities said.
Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks told reporters the rampage began at a house in the coastal city before the gunman, dressed all in black, made his way to Santa Monica College.
Seabrooks said he killed two people in the house, which caught fire, two more people as he moved several blocks toward the campus, and then two more on campus.
He entered the library and fired on other people but didn't hit them, Seabrooks said.
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Shot dead: The body of a man believed to be the gunman in the shooting, who was killed during a confrontation with police
Armed and dangerous: Police they the shooter was equipped with a tactical vest and a belt for ammunition
On high alert: SWAT officers conduct a search at Santa Monica College following a shooting on campus in Santa Monica, California
Injured: A woman injured after a gunman opened fire this afternoon near to Santa Monica College in California
On Fire: This home was reportedly set on fire by the gunman - visible at the front of the image are members of the public assisting a woman who has been shot
The property can be clearly seen burning as a cyclist rides past as members of the public tend to an injured woman this afternoon at Santa Monica College
Grim sight: Police officers stand next to a body near an entrance to Santa Monica College
Shot-Out: This is the car that was fired upon which contained a young woman who appeared to be hit in the shoulder
Emergency Services: Firefighters rush to save the woman shot during the incident today near to Santa Monica College campus
Arrest: Los Angeles Police officers are shown detaining a suspect near a shooting at Santa Monica College Friday June 7, 2013 in Santa Monica, California
Los Angeles County SWAT team members search the grounds of Santa Monica College near the library after multiple shootings were reported on the campus June 7, 2013 in Santa Monica, California
Los Angeles County SWAT team members search the grounds of Santa Monica College
Several students in the library reported hearing gunfire, and one witness said he heard a woman scream.
'The officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene,' Seabrooks said.
She identified the gunman as 25 to 30 years old and dressed all in black, wearing what appeared to be a ballistic jacket.
The campus was searched for a second shooter, and a man dressed entirely in black, with the words 'Life is a Gamble' on the back of his sweatshirt, was seen being taken into custody by law enforcement officers. He did not appear to be wounded.
'We are not convinced 100 per cent that the suspect who was killed operated in a solo or alone capacity,' Seabrooks said.
All of this unfolded about 3 miles from where President Barack Obama was attending a fundraising luncheon.
At least six shooting victims were rushed to area hospitals. Three of them were admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, hospital spokesman Mark Wheeler said.
Dr. Marshall Morgan, the chief of emergency medicine at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said three women were brought there. One died, one was in surgery, and the other is in serious condition but doing well.
Heavy machinery: An armored police vehicle is stationed on the street during a search at Santa Monica College following a shooting on campus
Santa Monica College in lockdown, after a gunman 'opens-fire' shooting 3 people in LA. The suspect was believed to have been found in the school's library and taken into custody. The extent of the injuries are not known
Aerial Patrol: Santa Monica College in lockdown, after a gunman 'opens-fire' shooting 3 people in LA
On Guard: A police officer walks on the street during a search at Santa Monica College following a shooting on campus in Santa Monica, California June 7, 2013
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Morgan said three other women went to UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica with relatively minor injuries. One has shrapnel-type injuries and the two others had injuries not related to gunfire.
One of the women who were taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with a gunshot wound was 50-year-old Debra Fine, who confronted the gunman near the campus.
The woman's husband, Russell Mark Fine, told the Los Angeles Daily News that his wife was driving west on Kansas Avenue when she saw a man firing shots near the corner of Yorkshire Avenue.
Debra Fine hit the brakes and yelled at the gunman to stop shooting, but instead the man trained his weapon on her and opened fire, shattering three widows in her car and wounding her. Mr Fine said his wife is expected to survive.
Jimes Gillespie, 20, told The Associated Press he was in the college's library studying when he heard the gunfire, and he and dozens of other students began fleeing the three-story building.
'As I was running down the stairs I saw one of the gunmen,' said Gillespie, who described the shooter as a white man in his 20s, wearing cornrows in his hair and black overalls. He said the man was carrying a shotgun.
Gillespie believes there were two shooters because he heard two kinds of gunfire — a shotgun and a handgun — but only saw one person.
'The shotgun blast was first. It was either him or the partner who shot eight to 10 handgun shots,' Gillespie said. 'Then after I saw the gunman I heard more shots and I ran out of the library through the emergency exit.'
Under protection: A Santa Monica police officer leads children on a field trip from Citizens of the World Charter School in Los Angeles out of Santa Monica College, where they had gone for a planetarium show
Gathering information: A policeman questions a resident near the partially burnt house where two bodies were discovered near the Santa Monica College campus, which are believed to be connected to the shooting
Chaotic scene: Forensic investigators photograph a car with bullet holes across a home that caught fire in Santa Monica
Traumatized community: A sobbing woman is seen comorted by a traffic officer (left); A California Highway Patrol officer stands guard as downcast students students wait outside
Crime scene: A fireman walks near a bullet-ridden car in front of a house where two bodies were discovered
As Gillespie ran away across campus, he said he saw a car in front of the English building that was riddled with bullet holes, had shattered windows and a baby's car seat in the back.
An eyewitness told ABC7 cameraman Shawn MCarthy that there was indeed a second gunman who opened fire a few blocks to the east of the schools south campus.
The witness said that a man dressed in black emerged from a vehicle and started shooting indiscriminately.
Jorge Saldana, 47, a custodian at Santa Monica College, told in an interview with LA Weekly that he witnessed the gunman dressed in military-style apparel shoot an elderly woman point blank outside the camps library.
According to the staffer, the gunman saw the woman rummaging in a Dumpster in search of aluminum cans, and shot her 'in cold blood' in the face of chest.
Saladana described the suspect looking very calm and 'walking very slowly.'
President Barack Obama is in Santa Monica speaking at a luncheon fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee about a 10-minute drive from where the shooting took place
Although U.S. Secret Service spokesman Edwin M. Donovan initially called the shooting 'a local police matter' and said that it will not impact the president's visit, but Friday evening, administration officials announced that Mr Obama's travel plans have changed.
The president and his retinue were expected to take a helicopter to the Los Angeles Airport, Politico reported, but in the aftermath of the shooting, they have opted for a different mode on transportation.
'The President will motorcade back to the Los Angeles airport to avoid any impact on the ongoing local response to the shooting in the area,' deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said.
Students rush to safety after shots were fired near the Santa Monica College on June 7, 2013 in Santa Monica, California
California Highway Patrol Officers contain a scene at Santa Monica College after multiple shootings were reported on the campus June 7, 2013 in Santa Monica, California
Students look on as Los Angeles Police Department Officers deploy around the Santa Monica College near the library after multiple shootings were reported
One individual, believed to be the gunman has been shot and has been transported by emergency services to hospital confirm Santa Monica Police.
An SMC student told ABC7 he heard the gunfire.
'I was near the bookstore when I heard 15 or 20 more shots,' he said. 'I stopped and went into the Theater Arts building. ... I'm extremely shaken.'
Santa Monica College student Sam Luster was preparing for a presentation in the school's library when he heard bullet
'We didn't know what was happening until all the students at the entrance of the library started running down towards the bottom of the library,' Luster said to ABC 7
Another Santa Monica student told ABC 7 that the shooting caused panic among hundreds of people on campus.
'One of the doors wasn't opening so alot of kids were panicking against the locked door and funneled around to the other side,' said Chad Lazzari.
Eyewitness Jason Garrett told CNN he spotted the gunman dressed in black clothing and what looked like a tactical vest and heard him fire shots inside the college library.
According to Garrett, who described himself as a gun enthusiast, the weapon in the shooter's hands appeared to be AR-15.
Shattered: The passenger window of a car appears to be shot out by bullets after a gunman opened fire at Santa Monica College on Friday afternoon
Fired Upon: The passenger window of this black SUV appears to be shot out by the gunman who opened fire today at Santa Monica College
Armed: An officer with the California Highway Patrol readies his rifle as he responds to the shooting in the area around Santa Monica College
Response: An ambulance speeds after the shooting in Santa Monica this Friday afternoon
The incident began at around noon, with witnesses reporting a 'fully armed' man discharging a firearm at cars in the area, said the California Highway Patrol.
The gunman apparently also set fire to cars and a bus said California Highway Patrol Officer Sgt. Denise Joslin.
Unconfirmed reports are of a number of injuries involving bus passengers said CHP Officer Kerri Rivas.
'We are aware of at least one suspect, there may possibly be others,' Joslin said to NBC Los Angeles.
All other schools in the area are on lock-down, including Roosevelt Elementary and John Adams Elementary schools.
Students at the college have been advised to stay away from the campus, according to the school.
Students on campus are advised to stay in place until the lock-down is lifted.
Santa Monica College is a two-year college with about 34,000 students.
Santa Monica College in lockdown, after a gunman 'opens-fire' shooting 3 people in LA
Open Fire: This is the bus that was reportedly opened fire upon by the gunman who began shooting this afternoon at Santa Monica College
Grizzly: Blood can be seen on the floor in the top left of this picture - posted from the scene onto Twitter
Santa Monica College has witnessed a shooting this afternoon in which multiple injuries have been reported
Sources have told NBC Los Angeles that the shooting is unconnected to President Obama's visit to the area.
The CHP took the first emergency telephone call around 11.55 a.m. that a man with one or more guns was firing south of Santa Monica College campus at 1900 Pico Blvd - according to Santa Monica police.
Students who were taking their final exams on campus had to scramble to safety and one student told KCAL9 there were two shooters seen at the time of the shooting.
Santa Monica College sent out the following statement
'There have been reports of a shooter on the main SMC campus. The college is on lock-down. This means that if you are on campus, stay out of open spaces, stay in doors, lock all doors and do not open the doors until you receive an all clear from college officials. If you are off campus, do Not come to campus.'
Lock-Down: Students of Santa Monica College wait for the lock-down to be lifted after a reported shooting incident today at the school
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337645/BREAKING-NEWS-SIX-dead-gunmen-sets-building-ablaze-opens-random-vehicles-outside-Santa-Monica-college--just-couple-miles-Obama-attending-fundraiser.html#ixzz2VaVlfIah
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