Shooting at YouTube HQ Results in Several Injuries

Parkland, Las Vegas, Pulse nightclub, and now YouTube HQ… When will gun violence stop in America?

On Tuesday afternoon, a shooting occurred at the headquarters of Youtube in California, resulting in three injuries. The shooter was a woman and shot herself dead after committing the act.

Her name, identity or motivation remained unknown to the public and it was also not revealed to us whether she was employed by Youtube or not. Of the three injuries which were sent to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, a man at age of 36 was most severely injured in critical condition, along with a 32-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman.

This news of the shooting was first tweeted by Vadim Lavrusik, a current employee of Youtube, just before 1 p.m. about an “active shooter at YouTube HQ”. During the shooting he had barricaded himself inside a room with his coworkers and afterwards, safely evacuated.

This incident is of no minor significance since Silicon Valley’s offices, though often filled with distraught worries and concerns for its openness and public’s anger and threats, have prided itself on its safety and this shooting put that into question.

The YouTube office in San Bruno, like many other Silicon valley offices, was equipped with light security and employees could access the buildings and facilities with badges. There are no metal detectors or armed guards in the lobby or anywhere in the offices.

This incident has already led to heightened feelings from the public, whose sentiment has turned into prejudiced, border-line hate speech remarks. Twitter users used a photo of Hillary Clinton in a head scarf, captioned “Samantha Hyde” to tease about the attacker’s hidden identity.

Twitter has spoken out officially about its attempt and commitment to dismiss hoaxes and false accusations, while also expressing sentiments of condolences and empathy: “I can’t imagine what our friends at YouTube are feeling and dealing with right now. We’re here for you and your families and friends.”

According to employees, the initial response to the shooting was of shock and people had assumed that it was a drill, until they heard shoutings declaring there was a shooter later. Footage showed that people left the building with hands over their heads, and the line to exit the office down the hill continued two hours after the incident.

Google has also spoken up about the incident, commenting on Twitter that it had informed its employers of YouTube in San Bruno to “continue dos shelter in place until further notice”, as well as warning other employees in the area to keep their distance from the area until the investigation was clear.

Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, echoed the sentiments of support and condolences on Twitter: “Over the coming days, we will continue to provide support to help everyone in our Google family heal from this unimaginable tragedy.”

Apple also sent forth its sympathy and support in a Twitter written by Timothy D. Cook, the chief executive of Apple.

This incident, taking place so soon after the March for Lives that took place less than two weeks ago all across the United States, has incited anger and frustration from many, who are wary from the continuous gun violence.

Dr. Andre Campbell, a surgeon at the hospital where the victims were sent, commented about the frustration with gun violence of this nation: “You’d think that after we’ve seen Las Vegas, Parkland, the Pulse nightclub shooting, that we would see an end to this, but we have not.”

Featured Image via Flickr