Yountville veterans home shooting: what we know

Three female hostages and a gunman were found dead after a standoff at a veterans home in California.

Three female hostages and a gunman were found dead after an hours-long standoff at the nation’s largest veterans home in Napa Valley, California.

The standoff began Friday morning local time at the state-run veterans home in Yountville, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said earlier it had identified the gunman, but did not release his name publicly. Hostage negotiators on site were never able to make contact with the suspect.

The California Highway Patrol identified the three victims as employees of a nonprofit organization that works with veterans.

Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about this nearly day-long standoff that left four dead, including the suspect:

What we know:

• Four people are dead, including the suspected gunman, after standoff at the state-run Veterans Home of California in Yountville, Napa Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol. Authorities believe the hostage-taker was armed with a rifle.
• The standoff began around 10:30 am local time, after authorities responded to reports of “shots fired,” reports CBS News. The campus was immediately put on lockdown. Local, state, and federal law enforcement swarmed the facility, along with SWAT teams and hostage negotiators, reports the local ABC affiliate.
• A sheriff’s deputy exchanged gunfire with the suspect when responding to the emergency call. “There were many bullets fired,” Napa County Sheriff John Robertson said at press conference.
• The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said earlier Friday that police had identified the suspect, but authorities were not naming him publicly.
• Hostage negotiators had tried calling the suspect’s cellphone, but were never able to make contact, reports the Washington Post.
• Chris Childs with California Highway Patrol said the hostages were all employees of Pathway Home, a nonprofit group that serves veterans and operates on the Yountville facility’s campus. According to the local NBC affiliate, the program provides treatment for Iraq and Afghanistan vets who suffer from PTSD.
• The Veterans Home of California in Yountville is the largest such facility in the country. It houses about 1,000 aged or disabled veterans.

What we don’t know:

• The identity of the gunman
• The suspect’s motive
• The names of the female victims

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