The suspect wanted in connection to a shooting at Santa Monica College on Monday night has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a brief pursuit with police in Hawthorne, according to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD).
Investigators had been tracking the suspect since the incident on Monday night. According to Lieutenant Erika Aklufi of the SMPD, Hawthorne Police Department got a hit on the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to pull it over, at which point a brief pursuit began at about 3pm on Tuesday afternoon. Not long after, a pursuit intervention technique was used to bring the suspect’s black sedan to a standstill on Aviation Boulevard, north of El Segundo Boulevard, near LAX.
The driver refused to cooperate or exit the vehicle and despite the efforts of the Hawthorne PD’s Crisis Negotiations Team, the suspect was found deceased inside his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Los Angeles County Coroner will be responding.
Detectives identified Davon Durell Dean (DOB 01/08/1985) an SMC employee as the suspected shooter. Durell has a history of arrests including for attempted murder in 2011 and an assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm, in 2019. However, his only convictions were for misdemeanor property crimes.
The incident began at Santa Monica College (SMC) when a long-time employee was critically wounded on Monday night in what authorities say is an incident of workplace violence. The campus was closed Tuesday following the shooting of an employee at the Center for Media & Design (CMD) late Monday evening.
The victim, shot around 9:50pm, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The CMD facility, located at 1660 Stewart Street, is one of SMC's satellite campuses and is also home to the KCRW radio station.
“This was a workplace violence incident, not a random act,” said a statement from the college. “The College is fully cooperating with authorities, and all Santa Monica College campuses will be closed on Tuesday to prioritize the safety and well-being of our community.”
SMC Superintendent Kathryn E. Jeffery expressed sorrow in a statement, noting the victim is a long-time employee. She urged the campus community to unite in support of the victim’s loved ones.
“Here at SMC, we frequently refer to each other as family. At this heartbreaking time, I urge us all to come together in kindness and compassion as we navigate this unspeakable tragedy,” she said.
Credit: Thomas Leffler
Early on Tuesday morning, Santa Monica and Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton issued a statement that said, “The shooting is believed to be between two people who know each other … SMPD will have additional patrols around our campuses today. All SMC campuses will be closed today. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities.”
One student, who has asked to be referred to only as John, was sitting at a hallway desk located one level up in the open plan building layout, a short distance from where the incident unfolded.
“I was on the second level and I was in the hallway study, working on my computer on a table, and just before 10pm, I heard a very loud noise and to me it didn't sound like a gunshot, it sounded more like a bag that had been popped, or maybe if something fell down, like a very loud sound,” John told the Daily Press.
“Within maybe another second or two, I hear another one of these big sounds, but [because] I was on the second floor and the concept is like a big, open plan design … the sound bounces around and can echo through the corridors. I didn’t think much of it again, but immediately after, I heard screaming from one or two female voices.”
John says that he was alone on the upstairs level hallway, but he later found out there was also a professor in his office on the same floor. Less than 30 seconds later after he heard the screaming, he says he could hear someone on their phone calling 911 at which point he realized the full seriousness of the situation and that there was an active shooter in the building.
“I hear her calling 911 and she's scared, like scared for her life and so I immediately understand, okay, there's a shooter in the building … and I didn't know which way to go, because I was worried for my own life, so I thought I should go into maybe a bathroom or somewhere, some kind of closet I can hide myself in, but at the same time, the way the building is designed, there's only three ways of getting downstairs,” he says.
Before he had a chance to decide on a course of action, a custodian of the college was running through the upper level corridor and told John to evacuate the building immediately, leave everything behind and make his way out into the parking lot.
“I run to the parking lot again, and I’m very scared, because I thought maybe the shooter could be on the second level, he could shoot us like a sniper … I get to my car and I’ve all of my things upstairs, my wallet, even my shoes, I was running in my socks. I left my laptop upstairs, my cash, everything.”
Once outside, John says the College Police arrived on scene in a matter of minutes and then a few minutes later, SMPD arrived.
“There were maybe three cars at the very beginning and then within four minutes, I counted seven police cars, and then one minute later, I counted a total of 12. Plus an ambulance and a fire truck and a helicopter that was circling overhead with a big spotlight … And then all of these police officers running out of their cars with really, really big guns, I want to say three or three-and-a-half foot long guns and they're all entering the building from one entrance,” John says.
He says that while the ordeal was harrowing and the temperature somewhat chilly, he and the others from inside the building were well looked after. He gave his statement to the police and was provided with coffee and donuts by the college, but he had to remain at the scene until about 1:30am.
SMC remains gated and closed and a statement made by SMPD on Monday morning said, “We will be providing extra patrols around our schools to further our connection with our students and their parents.”
This ongoing story is being constantly updated on the Daily Press website as new information is released.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
