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Crime & Safety

Reports Identify Gunman in Irwindale Shooting

Three dead, two critically injured in shooting at SoCal Edison offices in Irwindale.

IRWINDALE (CNS) - A gunman walked into an Irwindale office building that houses more than 1,100 , killing two people and critically wounding two others, then apparently turned the gun on himself.

The shootings occurred about 1:30 p.m. in the 4900 block of Rivergrade Road at Rivergrade Building 3 of an SCE facility. Company officials confirmed the shooter was a Southern California Edison employee, and those who were shot were also associated with the company -- three employees and one contractor.

Two people were dead at the scene and a third died while being taken to a hospital, said Baldwin Park police Capt. Mike Taylor. The gunman was among the dead, Taylor said.

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The shooter was identified by CBS2 as 48-year-old Andre Turner of Norco, but the coroner has not released his name pending their investigation.

CBS2 also identified one of the deceased victims as Chino Hills resident Scott Lindsay, but the coroner's office has not released his name pending their investigation. He was an operations manager in the IT division at SCE, in his 50s, and a father and husband.

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The shooter was at work in the morning, but authorities did not know if he left and came back, sheriff's Lt. Holly Francisco told the Los Angeles Times.

The shooter methodically picked off co-workers, including some Edison supervisors, The Times reported, adding the shooter told some people to leave.

A budget meeting was held and cuts were discussed before the shooting began, KCAL reported, but police would not say if the threat of layoffs set off the gunman.

KCAL also reported the shooter was underwater on his house, and police later searched his Norco house and escorted the man's family away.

The building's employees primarily work in the company's Information Technology and Transmission and Distribution divisions, according to an Edison official.

Sheriff's officials said the shooter and all the victims, three men and one woman, worked in the same general area of the building.

Gil Alexander of Edison told reporters at the scene that the company does not occupy the entire building, but the Edison portion of the office building is accessible only by using a security card.

Ted Craver, chairman and chief executive officer of Southern California Edison's parent company, Edison International, called the shootings "one of the most horrible days in our company's history.''

"We are deeply saddened by today's tragic events,'' Craver said. "We can now confirm that SCE employees were victims in the shooting.

"As you can understand, our focus needs to be on all of our employees at this time. Our hearts go out to the victims. We are providing counseling to employees affected by this event.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the employees.''   

The two injured people remained in critical condition tonight, officials at the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau reported.

Employees of the building filed out of the structure with their hands raised in the air as police swarmed the facility.

Sheriff's officials said a semi-automatic handgun was used for the shooting and the motive remained under investigation.

Glendora Police, as well as other police departments in the San Gabriel Valley, were tapped to assist Irwindale Police with operations.

Olive Middle School in nearby Baldwin Park was locked down immediately after the shooting, as was Walnut Elementary School, according to KCAL.

that immediately after gunfire broke out, snipers and SWAT teams swarmed the grounds.

Employees who were in a break room when the gunfire broke out barricaded themselves in the room by pushing a refrigerator in front of the door, a man
who said his girlfriend works in the building told KCAL.

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