Authorities say a gunman allegedly opened fire at the Spartan Aviation Technology College in Ingwood and arrested two employees on Friday.
The Ingwood Police Department responded to calls in the 8911 Aviation Blvd shooting. A Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said at 3:39 p.m., two women were taken to a trauma center in Long Beach and were in critical condition.
He said Ingwood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.
Butz said the suspect was not released immediately and was considered a former employee. He said the man reportedly wore clothes similar to security guard uniforms and was armed with a rifle.
Both women are university employees, but their specific roles and the causes of the shooting are unclear.
“The motive for crime is related to the work of the school,” said Butts, a 19-year-old veteran at the Inglewood Police Department. “It’s not random acts of violence.”
He said a 9mm shell was recovered from the campus.
“This situation is very shocking for the community because it promotes a sense of randomness and threatens security,” Butts said. “It’s a college campus; there’s no reason you’ll have this kind of crime in school.”
The police spent more than an hour going to the campus room to look for suspects or other victims, but did not find anyone. Ingwood police said they cleaned up the campus around 5:15 p.m.
A student at the school told ABC7 News that he and his classmates were told to shelter in the campus building for about 90 minutes.
“Everyone has a fear at once, I just feel like we really don’t panic,” he told the station. “We really just have to keep calm, the police are doing their jobs here, we just don’t want to intervene, so I want everyone involved to be safe.”
The Ingwood Campus of Spartan Aeronautics Technology is a trade school specializing in aviation maintenance education. Located one mile from Los Angeles International Airport, the campus offers an 18-month diploma and a 22-month associate degree to teach students how to repair and overhaul aircraft components and systems in preparation for the Federal Aviation Administration Certification Exam.
Campus President Christopher Becker told ABC7 that campus and conventional safety drills, fire drills and earthquake drills have 24/7 safety.
“We are an aviation school, so safety is one of our most concerned things,” Becker told the media. “It’s a great community of students, teachers and staff. We all get along well and care deeply about each other, so it’s hard for all of us.”
