A mass shooting at an Orange office building left four people dead and two people injured on Wednesday evening, authorities said. One of the injured had been shot at by police.
After receiving calls of shots fired around 5:30 p.m., Orange police officers arrived at the office at 202 West Lincoln Avenue to live gunfire and at least one officer fired their weapon, police said in a statement.
Officers shot at the shooter who was transported to an area hospital, said Orange police Lt. Jennifer Amat during a news conference near the office. The shooter was not immediately identified and police did not publicly disclose a motive or other circumstances about the shooting.
Police said the situation is stable and there is no threat to the public.
Four people died in the shooting, including a child, Amat said. Fire paramedics transported two others two local hospitals, including one victim and the shooter who was shot at by police.
Police called Wednesday’s incident the deadliest mass shooting in Orange since the 1997 Caltrans shooting where a disgruntled former Caltrans employee armed with an assault rifle killed four Caltrans employees at the agency’s yard in Orange.
The shooting also occurred after other recent mass shootings across the nation. On March 16, a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, at Atlanta-area massage businesses. The following week, another gunman opened fire in a Boulder, Colo. supermarket, killing 10 people.
Wednesday’s shooting took place on the second floor of the office building, but the name of the business was not immediately available.
The multi-tenant building houses various businesses such as State Farm Insurance, a financial consulting firm, a legal services firm and a phone repair store.
Charlie Espinoza, 50, who stood in front of the office building Wednesday evening, said he has been unable to reach his fiancé who works for a medical billing company inside the office building.
Espinoza said his fiancé’s co-worker was leaving to go home when she heard two shots from inside and then ran to her car.
A man, who asked not to be identified, also nervously waited outside of the office building fearful that his brother and niece may be among the dead or wounded.
He said his brother runs a manufactured home business in a corner office on the second floor that still had its light on Wednesday night in the otherwise darkened building. The man said he was worried because he has been unable to reach his brother by phone.
Cody Lev, who lives across the street from the office building, watched and listened from his home as the shooting unfolded.
Lev was sitting on a couch with headphones on when he heard three loud pops, spaced out from one another, ring out from the office. At first, he said he thought the sound was a hammer. He then heard three more pops and began to consider gunfire.
After a period of silence, he heard numerous shots, followed by sirens and then more shots.
When he looked outside from his home, Lev saw police surrounding the office building. He later saw paramedics carrying a person away on a stretcher.
Police said they were in the process of notifying family members of the deceased.
“Such a tragedy for the victims and their families,” Amat said. “Our condolences go out to them”
A Facebook livestream posted by a resident who lives near the office appeared to show officers carrying a motionless person from the building and officers providing aid to another person.
In the same video, witnesses described seeing officers removing two handguns from an individual who lie motionless on the ground. Officers could be seen leading two others away in handcuffs.
A large number of law enforcement remained at the scene Wednesday evening, including a dozen police cars and a SWAT vehicle at the building, including fire engines from multiple fire departments in the area.
The shooting prompted statements of concern in the community, including from elected officials.
“Obviously this is something shocking for the city of Orange, for something of this magnitude to happen,” Orange Councilwoman Arianna Barrios said late Wednesday. “Perhaps in this day and age, no community should be unprepared for something like this to happen.”
“I’m deeply saddened by reports of a mass shooting in Orange County, and I’m continuing to keep victims and their loved ones in my thoughts as we continue to learn more. My team and I will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Congresswoman Katie Porter said in a statement.
Staff writer Quinn Wilson contributed to this story.
This story is unfolding. Please check back for updates.
