Gunman Kills 3, Holes Up With Hostages in Sunnyvale

A man toting a shotgun and a rifle walked into the offices of a computer company and opened fire Tuesday, killing at least three people and wounding six others, including a former girlfriend who had jilted him, police said.

The gunman, tentatively identified as Richard Farley, 40, remained holed up on the second floor of the ESL Inc. building with an unknown number of employees, including his wounded former girlfriend, police said.

Some of the employees had locked themselves in their offices, and it was not immediately known if they were being held hostage.

“Some guy walked in and started blowing people away,” said Gary Wood, technical illustrator at the company.

The gunman wore two bandoleers crisscrossing his chest, Wood said, noting that employees ran from the building when the shooting erupted while others locked themselves inside office cubicles.

“We think there are three fatalities in there . . . possibly more,” Police Capt. Al Scott said. The gunman carried a shotgun and a 30.06 rifle and much ammunition, including the bullet bandoleers, Scott said.

He wounded his ex-girlfriend, identified as Laura Black, in the shoulder and held her on the second floor, Scott said.

“She has been shot in the shoulder but is not dead,” Scott said, adding that the motive for the shooting was apparently his severed relationship with Black.

His “relationship with the employee deteriorated,” Scott said. “She called the cops, and this is his way of making a point.”

SWAT teams entered the building on the first floor looking for injured people trapped inside offices.

One victim was taken to Stanford University Hospital, and the other to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, said senior dispatcher Jim Seymour. Both were reported in stable condition.

Scott said the gunman was not talking with police negotiators.

“He’s just kind of holding on. Right now he feels he has command of the situation,” Scott said.

The shooting occurred about 2:30 p.m. at ESL, a subsidiary of TRW, in an industrial area.