Crime & Safety

Gunman Opens Fire At LA Senior Housing Facility, Wounding 3 In Workplace Rampage

A gunman shot three coworkers inside a building housing about 100 elderly residents before officers arrested him, police said.

A gunman opened fire at a South Los Angeles senior housing facility Monday, wounding three coworkers before police took him into custody, authorities said.
A gunman opened fire at a South Los Angeles senior housing facility Monday, wounding three coworkers before police took him into custody, authorities said. (Los Angeles Police Department)

LOS ANGELES, CA — An employee opened fire at a South Los Angeles senior housing facility Monday morning, shooting three coworkers and critically wounding one before police found the suspected gunman elsewhere in the six-story building and arrested him, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at 10:50 a.m. in the 7000 block of Denver Avenue, near 70th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments.

The facility is Progressive Home for the Elderly at 7010 S. Denver Ave. Federal housing records identify the property as a 141-unit senior housing development under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 202 program.

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Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, whose 8th District includes the area, said about 100 elderly residents live at the facility and thankfully none were injured in the shooting. Officers reached the six-story building within approximately two minutes and rushed inside, finding three employees suffering from gunshot wounds in the lobby, according to the Times.

The victims were a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 60s. All three were taken to a hospital, where one was listed in critical condition. The other two were in stable condition, NBC Los Angeles reported. Police had not publicly identified the victims Monday afternoon.

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Suspect Found On Another Floor

After finding the three wounded employees, officers began a systematic search of the building and located the suspected gunman on another floor, police said.

The suspect, described as a man in his 60s, who also worked at the facility, was taken into custody without further incident. No officers fired their weapons during the arrest, and police recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the shooting. The suspect's name had not been released Monday afternoon.

Authorities said the suspected gunman and all three people who were shot worked at the facility. Police had not disclosed their job titles or said whether the victims were specifically targeted. No other employees or residents were reported injured. LAPD officials said there was no continuing threat to the public, and Harris-Dawson credited the rapid police response with limiting the potential for further violence.

Detectives were seeking to interview employees and the suspect to determine what led to the attack, according to the Times. The investigation remained ongoing Monday afternoon.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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