TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — Residents and staff members at a senior high-rise in California had complained in the past about erratic behavior by an elderly man now suspected of killing two women and himself at the facility, authorities and employees said.
Some people at the Golden West Tower apartments in Torrance even sought the eviction of the man in his 80s.
"People knew that he was a little bit off," employee Alex Galindo said told NBC4. "People were warned, but nobody did anything, so I know there's going to be blood on a lot of people's hands. That's all I can say at this point."
The shooting of the women occurred shortly after noon on Tuesday before the man apparently turned the gun on himself in the lobby of the high-rise, police Sgt. Robert Watt said.
Autopsies were planned Wednesday on the bodies of Charlie Vanhager, 54, and Maria Leon, 53, whose names were released by Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Ed Winter.
Watt said one of the victims was an employee at the apartment complex, but it was unclear which one.
The shooter's name was being withheld until relatives can be located, which Winter expected later in the day.
Witness Arturo Ramirez, who works at Golden West Towers, told the Los Angeles Times he locked himself in an office to call 911 after seeing a man who lived in the facility holding a gun.
Ramirez recalled hearing one of the women say, "'Please, no! Please!'" and then two gunshots. The final gunshot came a few minutes later.
Police were still investigating a possible motive. A handgun was recovered.
Residents and staff members told NBC4 the man had been behaving erratically, and many wanted him kicked out of the complex.
Watt said building management had received complaints but police were never alerted.
The building management's voicemail box was full and The Associated Press could not leave a message seeking comment.
Police were trying to obtain surveillance-camera recordings of the shooting, Watt said.
Golden West Towers is a 180-unit, privately owned and operated facility, the Torrance city website says. The low- and moderate-income housing is for seniors who can live independently.
It was the latest attack involving California senior centers in recent years.
In a shooting last month, investigators suspect Colin McGrattan, 45, shot and killed his ex-wife and her two nieces before killing himself at O'Connor Woods Senior Living center in Stockton .
In 2010, Arthur Baar, 77, shot and killed his wife, Caryl, 72, before turning the gun on himself in Laguna Woods, a south Orange County retirement community formerly known as Leisure World, authorities said.