2 Killed, 2 Wounded in Simi Valley Tire Shop Shooting

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – A gunman shot one person to death and wounded two others at a tire shop Tuesday, then apparently killed himself, police said.

Officers responding to reports of shooting went to the Tire Pros shop at about 7:30 a.m. and found a "chaotic" scene, with people lying in the office and garage areas, Sgt. David Livingstone said.

The gunman was found dead at the scene of a gunshot wound.

"It appears to be self-inflicted," Livingstone said.

Livingstone said the dead and injured included employees and customers and at least one was a woman. A body covered by a yellow sheet sat in a chair outside the office, TV reports showed.

A 20-year-old man was in critical condition and a 37-year-old man was in fair condition at Simi Valley Hospital, hospital spokesman Jeremy Brewer said.

One of the wounded was shot in the arm and another in the abdomen but both were expected to survive, Livingstone said.

He did not know their identities.

The employee with the arm wound was store manager John Heeber, Stephan Longo, director of marketing for Am-Pac/Tire Pros, told the Ventura County Star newspaper

Livingstone said a gun was found at the scene but he could not confirm if it was used in the slaying.

The tire shop is on a corner lot with a small parking lot in front.

There was a trail of blood droplets between the tire shop and New Castle Motors Auto Body, a shop about 100 feet away.

Livingstone said a victim may have run to the store to call police but he could not immediately confirm that possibility.

Shop employee Damian Cervantes, 29, told the Ventura County Star that he arrived at work to see police officers with guns drawn.

Simi Valley, 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, is a city of 100,000 that is often classed as one of the safest cities for its size in America, based on reports of violent and serious crimes. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is located in Simi Valley.