2 dead, including gunman, 2 others critically injured in Azusa shooting, authorities say

AZUSA, Calif. -- Two men were dead, including a gunman, and two women were hospitalized Tuesday afternoon after police responded to an initial shooting in Azusa and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, authorities said.

Shortly after 2 p.m., police were called to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of Fourth Street, where they arrived to find multiple victims "down," said Capt. Steven Hunt, acting chief of the Azusa Police Department.

As they attended to the injured, the officers were "met with gunfire" by a shooter armed with an assault rifle, Hunt said. A shootout ensued, involving five Azusa officers and one Irwindale officer.

A massive law-enforcement response response followed, including SWAT teams and sheriff's helicopters, and the victims and the pinned-down officers were extracted to safety.

The gunman died at the scene and three wounded patients were transported from the scene, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. John Corina said at an evening news conference. One of the victims, a man, died in an ambulance while en route to a hospital.

The two female survivors, ages 65 and 59, were listed in critical condition after being hospitalized, Corina said.

No officers were among the injured, Hunt confirmed.

The gunman was found dead inside a home, according to the Sheriff's Department. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known.

Corina described initial reports of a female shooter as "rumors flying around" and "misinformation going out."

"So far we have found no evidence of a female or anybody else assisting this person," the lieutenant said, referring to the deceased shooter. "But we are going ahead and following up on any information we're given."

The location was near Memorial Park, Mountain View Elementary School and Slauson Middle School, all of which were placed on lockdown. No one at the schools was hurt, according to the Azusa Unified School District.

The campuses and the park were evacuated by police, Hunt said.

Two nearby polling stations -- at Memorial Park and Dalton Elementary School -- were initially closed in the aftermath the incident, county Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said on Twitter. The polling station at Dalton Elementary was later reopened.