3 Hostages Killed At California Veterans Home

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Three women taken hostage at a veterans home in Yountville were found dead along with their captor Friday night after a day-long standoff centered on an area of the sprawling facility that cares for veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The women were employed at Pathway Home, a men's residential recovery program, according to CHP Capt. Chris Childs, assistant chief for the California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate Division.

The Napa County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has identified the victims as Jennifer Golick, 42, clinical director, of St. Helena, Napa County; Christine Loeber, 48, executive director, of Napa; and Jennifer Gonzales Shushereba, 32, clinical psychologist.

The suspected gunman was identified as Albert Wong, 36, of Sacramento, a former resident of the Pathway Home Program.

Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement and said flags would be flown half-staff at the capitol in recognition of the lives lost.

"Anne and I are deeply saddened by the horrible violence at the Yountville Veterans Home, which tragically took the lives of three people dedicated to serving our veterans," Brown said. "Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones and the entire community of Yountville."

California state Sen. Bill Dodd told ABC7 that the gunman — later identified as Wong — was a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who had served in the Middle East. He had been asked to leave the facility earlier in the week, according to a local news report.

The standoff began at the state-run home at 10:20 a.m., with reports of shots fired. The first Napa County sheriff's deputy to arrive exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Napa County fire Capt. Chase Beckman soon confirmed the gunman had taken hostages at the veterans home located at 260 California Drive.

CHP and the Napa County Sheriff's Office confirmed during a 2 p.m. news conference that a man armed with a rifle was continuing to hold three people hostage in a room inside one of the buildings.

SWAT team members and crisis negotiators with the CHP, FBI, Napa County Sheriff's Office, Napa Police Department and Sonoma County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene early on, CHP Napa Area Capt. Chris Childs told reporters.

Shortly before 6 p.m., officers entered the room where Wong had been holding the hostages, officials with the California Highway Patrol said, and the three women and Wong were found dead.

Not long after, a line of emergency vehicles was seen exiting the grounds of the veterans home near the city of Napa.

Napa County Sheriff John Robertson said deputies had arrived within 4 minutes of the initial report of shots fired. He said the suspect initially took several people hostage but he released most and kept the three.

"We do know who he is .... " Robertson told reporters during the standoff. "We have been trying numerous times to contact him via his own cellphone and phones in [the building]."

CHP and Napa County sheriff’s personnel established a perimeter and cleared residents from buildings.

The home is the largest of its kind in the U.S.; some 1,000 aged or disabled veterans live at the facility.

"The safety of our residents, workers and the community is our top priority," CalVet said in an earlier statement. "We have activated our emergency response protocol and are cooperating with law enforcement."

California Highway Patrol had officers, as well as helicopters and a SWAT team, at the scene.

The Sonoma County sheriff's office SWAT team also responded.

Several FBI agents were seen entering the grounds in unmarked cars.

The tense situation prompted a lockdown at nearby Yountville Elementary School.

Childs said a rental car driven by the suspect, parked near the building, was reacted to by a bomb-sniffing dog. A SWAT team and an explosives unit cleared the car, and it was not believed to be a threat, he said.

Patch will update this report as more information is learned. Refresh this page for updates.

Feroze Dhanoa, Patch national staff, contributed to this report.

Main Image: Vanessa Flores (R) embraces another woman after she leaves the locked down Veterans Home of California during an active shooter turned hostage situation on March 9, 2018 in Yountville, California. A lone gunman opened fire and is holding three hostages inside the largest veterans facility in the United States founded in 1884. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images News/Getty Images)

All other photos by Al Francis/Napasonomaphotos.com