Simi Valley, California Tire Pros. Shooting
Four victims were shot in Tire Pros Shop at Simi Valley strip mall Tuesday morning, and at least two of the victims died of their wounds.
Police said a gunman fatally shot a customer sitting in a chair outside a Tire Pros shop in a strip mall at about 7:30 a.m. 4386 E. East Los Angeles Avenue and Tapo Street in Simi Valley, CA 93063
He then entered the store and shot the owner in the arm and an employee in the stomach. Police believe the gunman then took his own life. Witnessed said another employee escaped and ran for help.
“It was a very chaotic situation when the officers first arrived, so they were trying to establish if there was an outstanding shooter, if there were any other people who were inured or jeopardy,” Sgt. David Livingstone of Simi Valley police.
The owner and employee were hospitalized and expected to survive the shooting. A 20-year-old man was in critical condition and a 37-year-old man was in fair condition at Simi Valley Hospital. One of the wounded was shot in the arm and another in the abdomen.
Damian Cervantes, 29, an employee of the tire store, said he had just arrived for work and was walking toward the garage when he saw several police officers with their guns drawn.
“I was very scared,” he said. “I’ve never seen something like this.”
A body lay inside the store, while the other was still sitting in a chair in an outside waiting area covered in a yellow tarp. Cervantes said he believed one of the dead was a female customer.
Livingstone said police are still investigating the shooting, but they have ruled out a robbery connection. Police are unsure if the gunman ever worked for the store.
Simi Valley, 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, is a city of 100,000 that is often classified as one of the safest cities for its size in America, based on reports of violent and serious crimes. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is located in Simi Valley.
Official Tirepros Web Site: www.tirepros.com
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