After a six-hour standoff, two people, including the suspect, are dead after a gunman opened fire at an Anaheim senior living complex on Thursday.
The deadly shooting happened at the Tyrol Plaza Senior Apartments located near State College Boulevard and Vermont Avenue at around 3:40 p.m.
The female victim, who was not identified, is the manager of the apartment complex.
A witness, Joe Guerrero, said he was speaking with the manager at the leasing office when the suspect suddenly entered the room.
The suspect, who lives in the complex, approached them and shot the manager multiple times at close range.
“He just came up to her and shot her four times,” Guerrero said. “I just can’t believe what happened. I thought he was going to shoot me next, but he just looked at me and took off.”
The suspect then barricaded himself inside his third-floor apartment.
SWAT Team members and a large police presence surrounded the building and evacuated several residents. Multiple schools in the area also went into temporary lockdown.
“I was asleep in my room and I heard gunshots,” recalled a tenant who did not wish to be identified. “I get up and five minutes later, police are surrounding the building. Someone on the third floor shot at the manager. It’s crazy.”
The woman was rushed to a local hospital by paramedics. She later died from her injuries.
The suspect remained barricaded inside his apartment for around six hours before he reportedly shot and killed himself.
The motive behind the shooting and details of the relationship between the suspect and the victim remain unclear.
Residents, including Guerrero who moved into the complex five months ago, remain shocked over the deadly incident.
“She’s a nice lady,” Guerrero said. “I don’t know what happened but [the suspect] just mentioned a couple words and then he shot her.”
The fatal incident remains under investigation.