A gunman was killed after he opened fire in an Azusa neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, killing one man and critically injuring two women, as well as prompting the closures of two polling places and a lockdown at a middle school, authorities reported.
The shooting was reported at about 2 p.m. at a home in the 500 block of 4th Street, near Memorial Park, the Azusa Police Department said. The incident was originally described as an “active shooter situation,” but by 4:40 p.m. police had the scene contained, but still urged neighbors to shelter in place throughout the evening.
It was unclear what prompted the 45-year-old suspect to start shooting, but family members told KTLA he was high on cocaine.
The Los Angeles Times reported the suspect walked out of his home and randomly started shooting at people in his neighborhood.
One woman was shot in the face, the other woman suffered shots to her body, Sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said. Police said the two women, ages 59 and 67, were in critical condition and airlifted to local hospitals.
After being struck by a stray bullet, police said one of the female victims went running to neighboring houses screaming for help.
The male victim, who police said was the suspect’s 77-year-old neighbor, died in an ambulance while he was being taken to a hospital.
Police said an elderly couple was found in the back home located on the property of where the shooting took place, but they were not injured.
Five Azusa police officers, and one officer from neighboring Irwindale police, were involved in the shooting, but no officers were injured, Hunt said.
According to the LA Times, when officers responded to the scene to tend to the victims, the suspect was hiding and opened fire once the officers were in sight.
The suspect was later found dead inside his home after being hit during the gunfire exchange with officers, police said.
Early reports indicated police were searching for a female suspect, and a male suspect, but on Tuesday evening Azusa Police Chief Steve Hunt said the early reports of a female suspect were unfounded.
“We are still searching the area in nearby yards and houses to make sure there are no other suspects who were involved, and no other victims,” Corina said in a news conference Tuesday night.
The motive for the shooting was under investigation, but drugs were a contributing factor, police said.
Corina said the suspect was armed with handguns and an assault rifle, and was wearing black combat gear.
Amid the search for the shooter, multiple police and SWAT vehicles could be seen on the streets of the residential area, which appeared to be near a school, aerial video from Sky5 showed.
Two polling places in the area — Memorial Park North Recreation Center and Dalton Elementary School — were also impacted by the shooting, L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan tweeted.
Although the Dalton location was later re-opened, the Memorial Park polling location remained on lockdown, with voters being redirected to alternate polling locations.
At least one of the victims had been heading to vote, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Two voters who were inside the Memorial Park North Recreation Center when the shooting occurred spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.
One male voter says he was inside when he heard a bunch of shots ring out and people from outside starting to run in before officials locked the doors.
He told the cable news station a “massive shooting is happening and the police have told us to stay indoors. We are currently on locked down.”
A female voter told CNN she heard the shots ring out.
“At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt. As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm.”
Pictures sent to CNN from inside the polling station showed many people inside, including a group of children who were in the building when the shots rang out.
The female voter said she estimated about 30 people were inside the locked down polling location. Additionally, about 15-20 children were evacuated from a gym inside the recreation center where the voting station was located.
No shots were fired inside the polling station and authorities said the shooting was not related to the election.
Slauson Middle School and Mountain View Elementary School, which are near the location of the police activity, were also placed on lockdown.
Several roads in the area were also blocked off by emergency vehicles, according to Sky5 footage.
At least three vehicles were involved in some sort of collision on a residential street that was among the roads blocked off, but it was unclear if the crash was related to the shooting.
KTLA’s Alexandria Hernandez and Nidia Becerra contributed to this story.
Monitoring #ActiveShooter situation in Azusa. Two polling locations currently impacted – Memorial Park & Dalton Elementary in Azusa (cont).
— Dean Logan, RR/CC (@LACountyRRCC) November 8, 2016
(cont) – Voters should avoid the area and, if necessary, cast a ballot at an alternate polling location. Updates to follow. #Azusa
— Dean Logan, RR/CC (@LACountyRRCC) November 8, 2016
