An armed man wearing a bullet proof vest has reportedly taken three people hostage inside a veteran’s home in California after firing between 15 and 20 shots, law enforcement officials said.
Police and emergency crews were responding to a hostage situation in progress at Veterans Home of California in Yountville, north of Napa, according to Bay Area media reports.
The 600-acre facility has been placed in lockdown since about 10:40am local time on the West Coast, the Department of Veterans Affairs told the Los Angeles Times.
Eyewitnesses say the man had an assault rifle and was wearing body armor.
The gunman is believed to be a member of The Pathway Home program for military veterans with emotional trauma, according to the Napa Valley Register.
Shots have been fired at Veterans Home of California in Yountville, north of Napa, according to Bay Area media reports
SWAT team members told people to stay back because the suspect had a powerful weapon.
A statement from the facility read: ‘Law enforcement is at the Yountville Veteran’s Home right now following reports of gunfire. The safety of our residents, workers and the community is our top priority.
‘We have activated our emergency response protocol and are cooperating with law enforcement.’
The Veterans Home of California-Yountville is a community for veterans in the heart of Napa Valley.
Police told KTVU-TV that between 15 and 20 gunshots were fired.
Founded in 1884, it is the largest veterans’ home in the United States, offering services to more than 1,000 aged or disabled veterans.
As law enforcement officers surrounded the building, residents and workers at the facility reported they were sheltering in place.
Eddie Thornton took to Twitter and reported that his father and friends ‘are barricaded in rooms.’
Joshua Kiser, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, spoke to the LA Times from his office on the east side of the campus.
‘Everyone is just in alert mode, and we’re taking information as it comes,’ Kiser said.
‘Our shades are drawn. Locked the doors.’