Santa Monica College Shooter Kills Himself During Standoff: Police

SANTA MONICA, CA — The man wanted for shooting his coworker at Santa Monica College on Monday night killed himself during a standoff with police on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. Monday at Santa Monica College's Center for Media & Design, a satellite campus near Stewart Street and Olympic Boulevard.

The suspect, later identified as SMC employee Davon Durell Dean, 39, shot a custodial operations manager at the campus and fled the scene, police said.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was transported to a local hospital and remained in critical condition Tuesday night, police said.

Dean remained at large overnight and into the following day, until Hawthorne Police Department officers at around 3 p.m. located his vehicle near El Segundo and Aviation boulevards, according to police.

Dean attempted to get away, prompting officers to pursue his car before successfully stopping it with a "pursuit intervention technique," police said.

"Despite the efforts of the Hawthorne Police Department's Crisis Negotiations Team, Durrell was found deceased inside his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," the SMPD said.

Dean was previously arrested in 2011 on a charge of attempted murder and in 2019 on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm. His only past convictions were for misdemeanor property crimes, police said.

“I am so proud of our detectives who worked tirelessly throughout the night in collaboration with our partners at the Santa Monica College Police Department to identify and locate the suspect in this tragic incident. Our officers’ commitment to the safety of the Santa Monica community is evident and remains paramount," SMPD Chief Ramon Batista said.

As Dean remained at large Tuesday, officials made the call to close SMC campuses and attempted to assuage concerns in the community about a shooter being on the loose.

"This was a workplace violence incident, not a random act," college Police Chief Johnnie Adams said in a statement Monday.

However, police ramped up patrols around TK-12 schools in the city Tuesday, according to police and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery said the college will be providing counseling and other emotional support to members of the community.

“At this heartbreaking time, I urge us all to come together in kindness and compassion as we navigate this unspeakable tragedy," she said.

Police said there are no known additional suspects involved and there is no ongoing threat to the general public.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives are working to determine the full sequence of events surrounding the incident, police said.