Crime & Safety

Albert Wong: 5 Things To Know About Identified Yountville Gunman

Albert Wong, 36, reportedly barged into a going-away party as employees toasted their coworkers and ate cake.

YOUNTVILLE, CA — Three women who worked for a veterans rehabilitation center in Yountville were killed Friday after an hours long standoff where a man who once received treatment at the center took the women hostage. The gunman, who authorities identified as 36-year-old Albert Wong, of Sacramento, was also found dead when authorities entered the room where he had taken hostages.

The three women worked at the Pathway Home, a nonprofit that works with veterans and operates a rehabilitation center on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville. The victims were identified as Jennifer Golick, 42, the clinical director, Christine Loeber, 48, the executive director and Jennifer Gonzalez, 32, a clinical psychologist.

"The tranquil Veterans Home campus is a perfect location for our Veterans to heal," Loeber, the executive director of the Pathway Home, wrote in a message to the community in February. In her message, Loeber lauded the partnership between the nonprofit and state authorities and thanked the state of California for providing space for the program on state grounds.

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While authorities are still piecing together a motive and whether the three women were targeted or chosen at random, here's what we know about Albert Wong:

  • He Was Once A Patient At The Pathway Home

Wong, a military veteran, had been asked to leave the program several days ago for unknown reasons, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Jennifer Golnick's father-in-law told The Associated Press that Golnick had expelled Wong from the program.

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  • A Military Veteran

Wong served on active duty from May 2010 to August 2013 and spent a year in Afghanistan, ABC-7 reports. Records obtained by the news channel showed that Wong had been awarded four medals. Wong was also awarded an expert marksmanship badge with rifle.

  • Barged Into a Going-Away Party

Wong apparently barged into a going-away party as Pathway employees ate cake and toasted their coworkers who were leaving the center, CNN reported. A sheriff's deputy engaged in gunfire with the gunman around 10:30 a.m. but after that nothing was heard from him or the hostages despite efforts to contact him all day, the AP reported.

  • Dressed In Black With A Stash Of Bullets

Citing radio transmissions between dispatchers and officers, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the gunman wore a stash of bullets around his neck and waist. He was also dressed in black and wore body armor, according to The Napa Valley Register.

  • Car Found Nearby

Wong's rental car was later found nearby, the AP reported. A bomb-sniffing dog alerted authorities to something on the car but the only thing found was a cellphone, authorities said.


Photo: A man consoles a woman outside Veterans Home of California after an active shooter turned hostage situation on March 9, 2018 in Yountville, California. A gunman armed with a rifle and three hostages were found dead at the largest veterans facility in the United States founded in 1884. Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images News/Getty Images

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