Azusa Shooting Locks Down Polling Places, Schools on Election Day
Azusa Police say a “cocaine-fueled, gun-fanatic” armed himself with an assault rifle and launched a shooting rampage, where he killed one and critically injured two others before he attempted to ambush responding officers on Election Day just miles from two different polling places in Azusa, California, just 30 miles away from Los Angeles.
Police response was huge; seven different tactical teams came out to monitor the event. By 3:00 p.m. local time, the suspect had barricaded himself in a residential area before police shot and killed him. His body was found in a home’s entry way.
The suspect’s identity has not been reported and the motive for the shooting is being investigated. Witnesses told Los Angeles Times that he “just walked out into the middle of the street and started shooting at random people.”
Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Lt. John Corina said the suspect was on a cocaine-binge that had led his wife and two children to leave the home the day before.
Around 2 p.m., the suspect walked out of a residential home with an assault rifle and black combat gear on. He open fired at a woman driving a van, causing her to crash into several cars. Another man, 77, walked out of his home to see the commotion when he was fatally shot.
A woman making her way down the street was also caught in the crosshairs.
The two injured women were airlifted to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
When police responded to a call of “shots fired,” they were met with at least 20 gunshots aimed towards them. No officers were injured.
The rampage sent the city into lockdown on Election Day. At least one polling place was on lockdown and then evacuated due to the gunfire. The incident sent those trying to vote scrambling to find an alternative polling place before they closed.
Schools and daycares in the area were also on lockdown as police did not know if the shooter would be mobile.