It was a day of chaos and terror for some Filipinos living
in northern California’s Little Manila Daly City, when an 84 year-old allegedly
fired a shot inside the Serramonte Ceremony Medical-Dental Building Wednesday afternoon.
Filipino health care staff
working in the building heard the gunshot fired around 1:30 p.m.
The witnesses were interviewed after the said incident.
"The doctor saw the
man with the gun and he ran out and the shooting was behind him but luckily it
missed him," said Maria Armas, a Filipino healthcare staff.
After 3 p.m., SWAT
officers surrounded the building and searched for the gunman while escorting
people out to safety.
"I was pretty surprised.
They actually called out the SWAT team here and if they call the SWAT team,
then it’s pretty serious," said Alex Clemente who lives a block up from
the medical building.
Southgate resident Francis
Reyes described the incident as something which he only sees on the news.
"But for it to happen in
your own neighborhood just causes an alert to the folks. There’s a preschool
nearby right behind my mom’s work. And I heard a lady that children are still
in the preschool. I hope they’re okay. It’s pretty crazy that it’s happening on
your own street,” said Reyes.
Police searched room to room
for the suspect identified as Raymond Iwase. The suspect was reportedly a
disgruntled patient who allegedly targeted Dr. Kevin Wong, an internist.
Police arrested Iwase without
incident at his Daly City home later that evening.
Authorities found a gun and
ammunition inside his home though it is not clear whether it was the same
firearm allegedly used at the medical building.
Iwase is currently held at the
San Mateo County Jail under suspicion of attempted murder.
No court dates have been set.