Authorities are seeking the person who shot and critically wounded a Santa Monica College employee, a crime that prompted officials to close the college’s classes and events Tuesday.
The shooting was reported around 9:50 p.m. Monday at the Center for Media & Design in the 1600 block of Stewart Street.
“The Santa Monica Police Department is investigating the incident,” according to a statement on SMC’s website. “Law enforcement is actively searching for a suspect.”
The victim is a custodian on campus, KNX reported. It was not immediately known if the shooter is a current or former student or college employee.
All of the college’s campuses were closed Tuesday.
“The victim of this horrific act of violence is a long-time SMC employee who is currently in critical condition at a local area hospital,” college Superintendent and President Kathryn Jeffery said in a statement Tuesday.
“The College is united in sending love and support to the victim’s family, friends, and loved ones. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the Santa Monica Police Department has requested that the College not disclose the identity of the victim or the suspect,” Jeffery continued. “The investigation by Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is ongoing. What we know so far is that last night, SMPD responded promptly to reports of shots fired at the CMD campus, with Santa Monica College Police Department and Santa Monica Fire Department personnel arriving swiftly to render aid. The assailant remains at large.
“As we informed SMC employees and students last night, all college classes and events are canceled on Tuesday, October 15; all SMC employees are released from work as the investigation continues and the college responds to this tragic event.”
The SMPD called the shooting “an isolated incident” and said there was no information suggesting there is a threat to the community.
“We will be providing extra patrols around our schools to further our connection with our students and their parents,” the department said Tuesday morning in a post on X
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 310-395-9931 or 310-458-8495.
Jeffery said the school will be providing “heightened in-person and virtual individual and group counseling and mental/emotional health support.” Employees can call 800-882-1341 to contact the Employee Assistance Service for Education program, which provides free, short-term counseling to SMC employees who may be experiencing emotional distress.
The SMC Center for Wellness and Wellbeing can be reached at cww@smc.edu, or 310-434-4503, and a 24-hour student hotline is also available at 800-691-6003.