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Has security been stepped up at Yountville Veterans Home? California agency won't say

The Press Democrat - 3/24/2021

Mar. 23—What appears to have been an unfounded report of a gunman roaming the grounds at the Yountville Veterans Home on Tuesday brought back painful memories of a deadly 2018 shooting at the facility, again raising questions about security measures at the nation's largest single residential home for military veterans in Napa County.

On Tuesday after a massive search of the premises, authorities did not locate an armed subject and confirmed no shots were fired.

In 2018, a heavily armed Army veteran who had previously been treated for mental health issues at the site, slipped into a building there and stormed into a morning farewell party. He killed three employees of the Pathway Home treatment program and traded fire with a Napa County Sheriff's deputy before fatally shooting himself.

In the wake of the 2018 tragedy, there were calls for authorities to ramp up safety measures at the site, which is operated by the California Department of Veterans Affairs and falls under jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol.

To what extent any additional security measures were imposed remained unclear on Tuesday.

CalVet spokeswoman Lindsey Sin in an email declined to provide any details about safety protocols at the facility "as a matter of security."

"I can say that all of our eight Veterans Homes have thorough emergency plans and procedures in place," she said in a statement. "Today staff reacted appropriately by contacting law enforcement and implementing our established emergency procedures."

Reached for follow-up questions by phone, she declined to share any information.

Napa CHP did not respond to multiple requests for details about security at the Yountville campus. The Governor's Office deferred a call for comment to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Following the 2018 shooting, the CHP and Napa County District Attorney's Office launched separate reviews of the incident. They found the gunman, Albert Wong, 36, had previously made multiple death threats targeting specific Pathway Home staff. Investigators also found that on the day of the shooting, Wong entered the facility through a door that he had propped open the previous night.

The reports themselves did not assign blame for the shooting.

In 2019, the family of one of the victims filed a wrongful-death suit against the California Department of Veterans Affairs, Napa County Sheriff's Office, Napa County and the Napa County sheriff's deputy who first responded to the shooting. The complaint, citing two 2010 site assessments by the CHP and an outside consultant, alleged authorities failed to safeguard residents and staff from veterans who were known to be violent and frequent the campus.

The case was dismissed in Napa County Superior Court and is on appeal, according to court records.

Larry Kamer, who served as a spokesman for the Pathway Home after the 2018 shooting, said it can be difficult to find a balance between security and livability at the veterans home, especially since the grounds are largely open to the public.

"Most days, the feeling is it's a residence and not prison," Kamer said. "So those concerns always bump up against other concerns when you have incidents like in 2018 or the horrible reminder (Tuesday)."

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian

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