UPS Worker Kills 3, Self in San Francisco Shooting
June 14--A gunman shot and killed three people at a United Parcel Service facility in San Francisco on Wednesday morning before fatally shooting himself in front of police officers, authorities say.
Six people suffered gunshot wounds and four died, according to San Francisco police.
The dead included the gunman, who shot himself in the head, according to Assistant Chief Toney Chaplin. Two guns were recovered at the scene.
"We believe this incident is not related to terrorism," Chaplin told reporters.
Steve Gaut, a UPS spokesman, said the shooter was a driver and in uniform. The workers involved in the shooting were gathering for their morning meeting before heading out to make deliveries, he said.
The shooting occurred at 8:55 a.m. and prompted police to issue a shelter in place alert to the neighborhood. The UPS facility is on the border of the Mission District and Potrero Hill neighborhoods.
When police arrived, they encountered numerous victims and evacuated them, Chaplin said. Officers determined that the gunman was still inside the cavernous facility and actively targeting people.
A team entered the building, found the gunman and saw him turn his weapon on himself, Chaplin said.
In a tweet just after 10:30 a.m., police declared the building secure and said the incident was contained. Officers continued to search the building for additional victims and witnesses.
Gaut said employees were evacuated from the facility, which processes packages for delivery in the San Francisco area and has 350 workers.
It is unknown how many employees were in the facility at the time of the shooting, Gaut said.
"I don't remember anything like this in California in recent history," he said.
Mayor Ed Lee tweeted his condolences for the victims of the shooting and voiced his appreciation for the city's police and first responders.
"We are always saddened by the loss of life to gun violence. Any shooting is one shooting too many," Lee tweeted. "I want to offer my condolences to the individuals & families affected by the senseless act of violence at the UPS facility in Potrero Hill."
In a series of tweets that began just after 9 a.m., police told the public to avoid the area of 17th and Vermont streets.
Brent Andrew, spokesman for Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the hospital had received victims, but he did not know exactly how many or their conditions.
May Vang, who works across the street from the facility, said that by 10 a.m. police and UPS workers were standing around outside.
"I didn't hear anything," she said. "I'm used to sirens going off so I didn't even pay attention."
A Twitter user across the street from the building tweeted that he heard seven or eight gunshots and saw employees standing on the building's roof parking lot with their hands up.
Relatives of workers began arriving later to reunite with their loved ones, who were being interviewed by police. One parent whose 19-year-old son works at the facility said it was his first job and that he'd been there less than a year, paying his way through college.
"You know, they're teenagers," said the relieved woman, who didn't give her name. "They see a text from the mom and they're not going to answer."
Maria Olmedo, 42, rushed to the area when she saw what had happened on the news. Her 21-year-old son is a loader and wasn't responding to her panicked texts, she said.
"It's a scary situation, I'm a mom," she said, standing about a block away from a church where police had relocated employees.
One of her son's co-workers texted her, assuring her that he was fine.
Condolences began to flow in through social media as word spread that the rampage was over and the gunman was dead.
As investigators continued to process the crime scene Wednesday afternoon, motorcycle officers escorted a black van from the facility. In the passenger seat a woman sobbed and held her head in her hands.
Meanwhile, at a nearby gas station, police spoke with dozens of workers before allowing them to return home.
The departing workers declined to answer questions, saying they were told by police not to talk, but one did respond when asked how he felt. "We lost some drivers" he said.
At an afternoon news conference, the mayor reassured UPS workers and the families of those killed at the facility that will be taken care of. Trauma experts and members of the Red Cross would assist employees, he said.
"They are happy and hardworking people," Lee said. "We know them in every single neighborhood in the city."
In days to come, city officials will review the incident to determine if any improvements can be made.
"I think we saved lives today with very proactive efforts from our police department and all the other agencies that responded," Lee said.
Rosemary Turner, president of Northern California UPS, said package service is working with law enforcement to notify the workers' families.
"I am most concerned about my employees to make sure that we have as many counselors that are needed on site for all of their support," she said. "Please keep UPS'rs in your prayers and all of those impacted."
joseph.serna@latimes.com
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
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UPDATES:
2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Lee and Turner.
1:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment from a UPS worker.
12:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from employees' families.
12 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the San Francisco mayor.
11:40 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from San Francisco police.
10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from a UPS spokesman.
10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from a hospital spokesman and San Francisco police.
10 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from a UPS spokesman.
9:40 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the city's Department of Emergency Management.
This article was originally published at 9:35 a.m.
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