Missing person found in Mountain View later determined to be YouTube shooter
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Recent law enforcement experience with a missing person underscored the difficulty of detecting and preventing a potential threat.
The Mountain View Police Department issued a statement on April 4 regarding a missing person. They encountered a woman sleeping inside of a car and established contact with her. They confirmed that it was a woman who had been reported missing.
Mountain View Police identified the woman as 38-year-old Menifee resident Nasim Aghdam after a check of her license plate was issued. Aghdam told police “she had come to the area to stay with family and while she was currently living out of her vehicle, she was in the process of looking for a job.”
During a conversation with the suspect, she also stated that she had a family argument and had left the home due to the argument. Police familiar with the scene asked questions regarding her mental and physical health. The officer questioning Aghdam did not have any reason to believe she would harm herself or others.
As it came out after the shooting, Aghdam had become angry about YouTube changing restrictions on video content that could be posted by its members, thus limiting the amount of money she could make through advertising.
The company, in a crackdown against graphic content, had taken down some of Aghdam’s videos and she felt that the company was attacking her.
According to Mountain View Police, “At no point during that conversation did either Aghdam’s father or brother make any statements regarding the woman’s potential threat to, or a possible attack on, the YouTube campus. Also, there was no indication from either Aghdam or her family that she may have been in possession of any weapons.” Aghdam was then removed from the State’s missing person’s database, and no further action was taken by authorities.
Aghdam, however, proceeded to injure three people with gunshots at the YouTube campus before. killing herself.
