Suspect in Santa Monica College shooting dead after Hawthorne barricade, police confirm

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Santa Monica College employee shot and critically wounded a coworker Monday and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot a day later when authorities caught up to him in Hawthorne, officials said.

Tuesday night, authorities identified the deceased suspect as Davon Durell Dean, 39, an SMC employee with past arrests - but not convictions - for violent incidents

The initial shooting incident happened just before 10 p.m. Monday at the college's Center for Media and Design on Stewart Street, according to the school.

The victim, a custodial operations manager whose name has not been released, was hospitalized in critical condition.

College police chief Johnnie Adams said the shooting was a "horrific act of workplace violence" and not a random act.

All seven campuses of Santa Monica College were closed Tuesday after a shooting left a school employee in critical condition.

Santa Monica police detectives were able to identify Dean as the shooter. Tuesday afternoon, Hawthorne police officers spotted Dean's vehicle in the area near El Segundo Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard.

After a short chase, officers used a PIT maneuver to stop his car. A barricade situation ensued and at some point Dean turned his gun on himself, police say.

SWAT officers continued to maintain a cautious position after his weapon discharged. They remained in the SWAT armored vehicle and extended a long tool to break the window and remove the weapon before attempting to confirm the suspect was deceased.

Santa Monica police say Dean was arrested for attempted murder in 2011 and assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm, in 2019. However, he only has convictions for misdemeanor property crimes on his record, police say.

All seven Santa Monica College campuses were closed Tuesday as a precaution.

"To help our community through this very difficult time, SMC will be providing...counseling and mental/emotional support," SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery said in a message to the school community. "At this heartbreaking time, I urge us all to come together in kindness and compassion as we navigate this unspeakable tragedy."

Local residents said while they were disturbed by the incident, they did not necessarily feel a sense of heightened danger in the neighborhood.

"What happened here obviously is a tragedy, wherever it happens," said one local resident. "But living in the area and being a neighbor and walking through this neighborhood regularly, I always feel safe. I never feel unsafe. I don't think this will change that."