Three female hostages and the suspected gunman were found dead at a California veterans home on Friday.
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office responded to an “active shooter situation” in the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, after a gunman infiltrated a going-away party for employees there.
The gunman was identified as 36-year-old Albert Wong, 36, a former Army rifleman, according to the Associated Press.
Officials said that the hostages taken by the gunman were employees of Pathway Home, which provides support for veterans from post 9/11 wars. They have been identified as: Christine Loeber, 48; Jennifer Golick, 42; and Jennifer Gonzales, 29, according to the AP.
Police had attempted to contact the gunman via his cellphone and phones within the building, but were not able to reach him. The Napa County Sheriff’s office said more people were initially taken hostage in addition to the three who remained, but they were released by the gunman.
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Earlier on Friday, a man dressed in black body armor and armed with what appeared to be an automatic weapon was reported in the area, according to the Napa Valley Register. The Napa County Sheriff’s Department had advised people stay away from the area on social media.
“I don’t know the world we live in today, I really don’t. This is a little community and we all know each other,” Elizabeth Naylor, who works as an events manager 10 miles north of the veterans home, told the Associated Press. “Napa Valley is a wonderful, beautiful place and to know this is in your background, it’s unsettling.”