Identified Shooter Nasim Aghdam “Hated” YouTube, Accused Company of Discrimination

The suspected YouTube shooter has been identified as Nasim Aghdam, a disgruntled user of the video platform. Before wounding three employees and taking her own life on Tuesday, Nasim claimed she was discriminated against and wrongfully censored by the company.

Nasim, who was a die-hard vegan and animal rights activist, posted clips denouncing YouTube for age restricting her videos and limiting the views she received on her content. She even accused the company of censoring her because of her beliefs. On a March 18 Instagram post, she wrote, "All my YouTube channels got filtered by YouTube so my videos hardly get views and it is called merely relegation."

The night before the shooting, her father claims he told police she might be going to YouTube because she "hated" the company. She was found sleeping in her car Monday night and police told her family everything was "under control." A few hours later, she would be dead. “She was angry,” her father told the Bay Area News Group shortly after the shooting. He also revealed today would have been his daughter's 38th birthday, adding, "She chose the day to die the day she came."

Yesterday, several employees who work at YouTube’s headquarters reported that there was an active shooter at the media giant’s San Bruno, CA, HQ. At the time, YouTube’s parent company, Google, released a statement, saying, “Re: YouTube situation, we are coordinating with authorities and will provide official information here from Google and YouTube as it becomes available.”

Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.

— Vadim Lavrusik (@Lavrusik) April 3, 2018

Facebook alum Vadim Lavrusik, a product manager, tweeted, “Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heart shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricated inside a room with coworkers.” He later tweeted, “Safe. Got evacuated. Outside now.” Police also took to Twitter to confirm that they were responding to an active shooter, urging locals to avoid the area if possible.

We are responding to an active shooter. Please stay away from Cherry Ave & Bay Hill Drive.

— San Bruno Police (@SanBrunoPolice) April 3, 2018

Product manager Todd Sherman, who was in the building, gave a first-hand account of the incident. “We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake. After exiting the room, we still didn’t know what was going on but more people were running. Seemed serious and not like a drill,” he tweeted. “We headed towards the exit and then saw more people and someone said there was a person with a gun. S–t. At that point, every new person I saw was a potential shooter. Someone else said that the person shot out the backdoors and then shot themselves. I looked down and saw blood drips on the floors and stairs. Peaked around for threats and then we headed downstairs and out the front. Police cruisers pull up, hopped out with rifles ready and I told them where the situation was as I headed down the street to meet up with a couple team members. [I'm] in an Uber [on my way] home. Hope everyone is safe.”