Suspect dead after shooting at Santa Monica College severely injures employee: Police

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The suspected gunman in a shooting at Santa Monica College in California took his own life Tuesday after police tracked him down and attempted to arrest him a day after the attack, according to investigators.

The man, identified by police as Davon Durell Dean, 39, was an employee at Santa Monica College, a two-year community college located in the coastal city west of downtown Los Angeles. Dean is accused of shooting and critically injuring a co-worker late Monday night on the college's campus, according to Santa Monica police .

That employee, a custodial operations manager who has not been identified, remained in critical condition at a hospital as of 7 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, police said.

In a statement , the college described the shooting as "a workplace violence incident, not a random act."

“As we try to make sense of this horrific act of workplace violence, the safety of our community is our primary focus," Santa Monica College Police Chief Johnnie Adams said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful to (police) personnel and all our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly.”

The shooting was reported at 9:50 p.m. Monday at the college's Center for Media & Design, a satellite campus a short distance from the main campus, police said .

City and college police, as well as firefighters, were dispatched to secure the campus and provide aid to the victim, who was transported to a nearby hospital. The suspected shooter fled after the shooting and remained at large overnight.

All of Santa Monica College's campuses were closed Tuesday in the wake of the attack.

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Employee identified as suspect had prior criminal history

Investigators later identified Dean, an employee at the college, as a suspect.

According to police, Dean had a history of arrests, including one for attempted murder in 2011 and an assault with a deadly weapon in 2019, none of which resulted in convictions. Dean's only convictions were for misdemeanor property crimes, police said.

Santa Monica College, which requires prospective employees to disclose previous criminal convictions, was not aware of Dean's prior arrests but was aware of the property crimes of which he was convicted, which were "not crimes of violence," President Kathryn Jeffery said in a statement .

"Our hearts are with the victim’s family, friends, and loved ones," Jeffery said in a statement.

After chase with Hawthorne police, suspect found dead

Police in Hawthorne, located south of Santa Monica in southwestern Los Angeles County, spotted Dean's vehicle Tuesday afternoon and attempted a traffic stop.

Dean fled, prompting police to chase him and use a "pursuit intervention technique" to stop his vehicle, Santa Monica police said. Crisis negotiation teams attempted to convince Dean to surrender peacefully, but police later found the man dead inside his vehicle from what appeared to a be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Los Angeles County Coroner planned to conduct an official autopsy, police said.

"The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives are working to determine the full sequence of events leading to this tragedy," Santa Monica police said. "There are no known additional suspects involved and there is no ongoing threat to the public."

College offers grief counseling services

Santa Monica College has made grief and crisis counselors available to both students and staff in the wake of the attack.

Classes, support services, and business operations have temporarily pivoted online until Sunday, the college announced.

“To help our community through this very difficult time, SMC will be providing…counseling and mental/emotional support,” Jeffery said in a statement.  “At this heartbreaking time, I urge us all to come together in kindness and compassion as we navigate this unspeakable tragedy.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect dead after shooting at Santa Monica College severely injures employee: Police