YouTube Shooter Upset the Company Demonetized Her Videos
Details were beginning to emerge Wednesday about a woman suspected of shooting and wounding three people, then taking her own life at YouTube's San Bruno, California headquarters Tuesday afternoon.
The Twitter post above features a video reportedly uploaded by 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam, who went by the name "Nasime Sabz" online. In the video, Aghdam complains about her workout videos being age restricted, and cites examples of videos from famous users she feels YouTube prioritized over those of other content creators.
Aghdam listed her grievances against YouTube on her website, which had been taken down Wednesday morning.
The Associated Press reports that Aghdam's YouTube channel featured exercise videos, along with content about veganism and animal cruelty. Aghdam's father, Ismail, told reporters his daughter hated YouTube because they had demonetized her videos, and that he feared she might visit the company's headquarters to confront them.
Ismail Aghdam says he reported his daughter missing Monday after she didn't answer her phone for two days. Police in Mountain View, California (about 30 miles from YouTube HQ) have confirmed that they found Nasim Aghdam asleep in her car in a parking lot in the city around 2 AM Tuesday, but did not have reason to suspect she was a threat to anyone and let her go when she refused to answer questions.
Aghdam's brother told ABC News affiliate KGTV he was concerned that his sister having been found in Mountain View indicated she was headed to YouTube HQ, and that he tried to warn authorities. Police have not commented upon any such warning.
Shortly after Noon Tuesday, Aghdam entered an outdoor dining area at YouTube HQ and began firing her gun, injuring three people.
One victim - a 36-year-old man - was in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital Wednesday. A 32-year-old woman remained in serious condition, and a 27-year-old woman was in fair condition.
Employees of YouTube and adjacent offices posted updates and photos to Twitter in the aftermath of the attack, during which people were barricading themselves in offices or being escorted from buildings by police.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini initially reported that the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute, but it is unclear what led police to believe that.
The shooting remained under investigation Wednesday morning.