YouTube HQ shooter reportedly a creator who opposed video platform's policies

A woman has shot and injured three people at YouTube’s California headquarters before killing herself, according to reports.

The San Francisco Bay Area CBS station reported yesterday that there was an active shooter at the company’s San Bruno HQ. The shooter was later identified as 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam, a San Diego resident.

Aghdam is said to have approached the YouTube HQ via an outdoor patio area around lunchtime before opening fire with a handgun. There is so far no evidence to suggest Aghdam knew the victims, which include a 36-year-old man and two women aged 32 and 27. The man is believed to be in a critical condition.

Reports indicate that Aghdam was a video creator who had criticized Google-owned YouTube over its policies. An NBC affiliate has linked Aghdam to this website, which contains images and videos of her, and content regarding free speech and censorship.

“There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site,” it says on the website, though it hasn’t been confirmed that she wrote or maintained the material there.

According to Bloomberg, “the site also complains about the small amount of money Aghdam said she got from a video that was viewed a few hundred thousand times.” The BBC says Aghdam has been described as “a vegan bodybuilder, artist and rapper.”

Last month, YouTube announced that it would ban content promoting the sale of guns and gun accessories. It also announced the banning of videos giving instructions on how to make guns. It is unknown if this shooting is related to that news.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent the following message to employees yesterday in the aftermath of the attack.

So far, Aghdam’s is the only reported death from the violence.