Nasim Aghdam: What we know so far about the YouTube shooter

Shootings have occurred with such alarming frequency in the United States over the past year, it’s almost hard to be surprised by the sobering news of another one.

And yet there is something about Nasim Aghdam’s attack on the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California that adds yet another uncomfortable dimension to a gun violence problem spiralling out of control: that the suspect was reportedly a disgruntled YouTube vlogger with a vendetta against the company she felt unfairly censored her videos.

It is thought that being denied this perceived entitlement to internet stardom left her so full of rage that the 39-year-old woman opened fire on employees, critically injuring a 36-year-old man, seriously injuring a 32-year-old woman and wounding a 27-year-old woman.

She then turned the gun on herself and took her own life.

'Inside the complex officers located a deceased female inside with a gunshot wound that is believed to have been self-inflicted,' a spokesperson for San Bruno police said.

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'At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted.'

It’s the result of a level of social media-made narcissism that seems more at home in an episode of Black Mirror than in suburban America. And yet it has managed to attract the attention - and condolences - of tech leaders around the world, from YouTube's CEO to Apple's Tim Cook.

Here’s what we know about her so far.

1. She’s a woman

We probably weren’t the only ones who had to check their unconscious biases when we first saw the headlines surface on Twitter. Surely the slickly made-up, Amazonian-looking woman couldn’t possibly be the shooter in question? Hardly your typical high school loner with an axe to grind. Look out for grossly fetishized computer game characters baring her semblance in the near future.

2. She was a vegan and a staunch animal rights activist

Not that either of these things appear to have anything to do with the attack itself.

Even so, it hasn’t stopped pro-gun lobbyists – including Donald Trump JR – from using her plant-based diet as leverage against reforming gun laws. No, we’re not entirely sure what he’s on about here either:

3. She was also big into Persian culture… And fitness videos.

Her now-deleted YouTube and Instagram accounts, on which she posted as ‘Nasim Wonder1’, had a significant following on the aforementioned topics. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, she also had her own website, NasimeSabz.com. The site also featured several rants against YouTube.

'There is no free speech in real world and you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not supported by the system,' she wrote in one.

'There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site.'

4. Her most recent video was posted three weeks ago and was titled ‘Leg Exercises At Home Fitness’

In an Instagram post dated 18 March, the Californian-born vlogger complained about YouTube’s censorship, saying it used tools to 'censor and supress people who speak the truth.'

NBC sited a video post back in January 2017, in which she complained YouTube had 'discriminated and filtered' her content, and imposed what she believed was unfair age restrictions on one of her fitness posts, when Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus videos were able to be viewed by children.

5. Her father warned police of her violent intent towards YouTube

Ismail Aghdam, the father of Nasim, is thought to have contacted San Diego police on Monday to tell them of his concern for her anger towards YouTube. He claims she had stopped receiving payment from the video platform.

Reports suggest that police found sleeping in her car in nearby Mountain View, about 30 miles southeast of YouTube's San Bruno headquarters, the night before the shooting.

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.