3 Dead, 2 Injured in Irwindale Edison Office Shooting

Updated 10:17 p.m.

A Southern California Edison employee, armed with a rifle, shot four people Friday in an Irwindale building that houses company offices, then apparently killed himself.

Two victims were dead and two others injured, Baldwin Park police said.

"The shooter is deceased. We believe it's a self-inflicted wound but we don't know right now," said Capt. Michael Taylor of the Baldwin Park Police Department.

"We're trying to piece it all together to get a true picture of what actually went on," Taylor said. The scene was described as "pandemonium."

Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said investigators from his office had not yet been called to the shooting scene. No information on the victims' identifications will be available until the next of kin are notified, he said.

By late afternoon, SoCal Edison had confirmed the suspected shooter was an employee. The company said it is offering counseling for workers and establishing a fund for those affected by the shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims," said company spokesman Gil Alexander.

Following the shooting, employees were cleared from the offices and a SWAT team went room by room through the building.

"Our homicide detectives are the ones that are going to be conducting the criminal investigation but the holdup right now is our SWAT team is still clearing the location," said Lt. John Hocking of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Concerned relatives of employees gathered outside the building after hearing of the news.

"I came as soon as I heard about the shooting. My mom is in there. I hope she is OK," said Monica Salazar from Covina. "My mom is everything to me."
 
Ron Orona from El Monte was waiting to hear about his daughter. "She is still in the building. She texted me she is OK, but I am concerned; I see too much cops here."

Several police agencies around the San Gabriel Valley responded to the shooting, including those from Monrovia and Baldwin Park.

Two nearby schools were locked down after the shooting, but students were dismissed once it was deemed safe.

Lisa Sullivan, assistant to the Baldwin Park Unified School District superintendent, told Patch that the district conducted a "staggered release" of students at Olive Middle School.

"They’re being released directly to parents," she said.

Walnut Elementary was also on lockdown for a period of time but students were released from that school at the regularly scheduled time.

Updated 3:56 p.m.

A man apparently armed with a rifle shot at least two people today in an Irwindale office building that houses offices of Southern California Edison, then apparently killed himself, Baldwin Park police said.

"The shooter is deceased. We believe it's a self-inflicted wound but we don't know right now," Capt. Michael Taylor of the Baldwin Park Police Department said.

"We're trying to piece it all together to get a true picture of what actually went on," Taylor said. The scene was described as "pandemonium."

Taylor said as far as police know, the victims' injuries were not life-threatening.

"As far as the shooter being an employee, we've heard rumors of that," Taylor said. "We haven't confirmed anything as of yet."

Lisa Sullivan, assistant to the Baldwin Park Unified School District superintendant, told Patch that the district has begun a "staggered release" of students at Olive Middle School.

"They’re being released directly to parents," she said.

Walnut Elementary was also on lockdown for a period of time but students were released from that school at the regularly scheduled time.

Updated 2:56 p.m. A man apparently armed with a rifle shot two people today in an Irwindale office building that houses offices of Southern California Edison, then reportedly shot himself, Irwindale police told KCAL, according to City News Service.

Irwindale police Chief Dennis Smith said the gunman apparently killed himself after shooting another man and a woman.

"The schooter is deceased. We believe it's a self-inflicted wound but we don't know right now," Capt. Michael Taylor of the Baldwin Park Police Department said to KCAL.

"We're trying to piece it all together to get a true picture of what actually went on," Taylor said. The scene was described as "pandemonium."

Lisa Sullivan, assistant to the Baldwin Park Unified School District superintendant, told Patch that the district has begun a "staggered release" of students at Olive Middle School.

"They’re being released directly to parents," she said.

Walnut Elementary was also on lockdown for a period of time but students were released from that school at the regularly scheduled time.

Multiple police agencies from the area, including officers from Monrovia and West Covina, responded to the shooting.

Updated: Southern California Edison has confirmed that the shooting took place in its offices and issued the following release:

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Dec. 16, 2011 Southern California Edison (SCE) confirms that there has been a shooting at our Rivergrade facility at 4900 Rivergrade Road in Irwindale.

Police are on the scene and the building is on lockdown.

SCE will provide more information as it becomes available.

Previously: A shooting at an office building in Irwindale Friday resulted in "multiple" victims, according to KCAL and City News Service.

The shooter apparently turned the gun on himself and is now dead, according to KCAL.

The building houses offices of Southern California Edison, according to the station, but is not the corporate headquarters of the utility, which is in Rosemead.

The shooting in the 4900 block of Rivergrade Road was reported about 1:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Irwindale Police Chief Dennis Smith told KCAL that two people--a male and a female--were shot. At least one victim has been treated by paramedics, according to the fire department.

One school in Baldwin Park--Olive Middle School--remains on lockdown, according to the station. A Southern California Edison spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on the shooting.

Patch is heading to the scene and will be updating this story as we get more information.

If you know of anyone at the scene or have photos or videos, please upload them here or post something in the comments.