INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A workplace shooting at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology near Los Angeles International Airport on Friday left one woman critically injured and another hospitalized. Authorities have identified the suspect as 40-year-old Jesse Figueroa, an unarmed security officer employed at the campus for just two months.
The incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. when Figueroa entered an office on campus and opened fire on two female employees using a handgun, reports the Los Angeles Times. According to Inglewood Mayor James Butts, the shooting was an act of workplace violence and not a random attack.
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After the shooting, Figueroa fled the scene in his vehicle. A description of his car and license plate was immediately shared with law enforcement agencies, leading to his capture less than two hours later in front of Berendo Middle School, about 10 miles from the Spartan College. He is currently being held in the city jail on $1 million bail.
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The two victims were rushed to Long Beach’s trauma center. One, a 35-year-old dean at Spartan college, remains in critical condition after being shot execution-style in the head, according to Mayor Butts. She is now brain dead. The second victim, an admissions assistant, was also injured in the attack but is currently in stable condition.
The campus was placed on lockdown as police conducted a thorough search for additional suspects or victims. Authorities spent more than an hour examining the scene but did not find any other threats, clearing the area by 5:15 p.m. Students and staff sheltered in place during the search.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Mayor Butts stated that Figueroa was employed through a third-party security firm and had been working at the Inglewood campus for just two months.
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An instructor at Spartan College, Jawad Alamad, described Figueroa to NBC4 as someone who had “problems.”
