SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Three female hostages and a suspected gunman were found dead after police entered a veterans' home in the U.S. state of California, local police said late Friday.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) Assistant Chief Chris Childs said in a statement Friday evening that the three women who died in a hostage-taking crisis early in the day were all employed by Pathway Home, a non-profit organization running a program that treats U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"This is a tragic piece of news, one that we were really hoping we would not have to come before the public to give," he said.

The gunman who killed the three female hostages was identified as a former U.S. soldier who served on active duty from May 2010 to August 2013 and spent a year in Afghanistan.

Childs disclosed that the three victims are a 29-year-old clinical psychologist, a 42-year-old clinical director and a 48-year-old executive director of Pathway Home, which was housed on the campus of the Veterans Home of California, Yountville, in Napa County, about 85 km north of San Francisco.

"Shortly before 6 p.m. (0200 GMT, Saturday) this evening, law enforcement personal made entry into the room where the hostages were being held by the suspect and unfortunately made the discovery of three deceased females and one deceased male (suspect)," Childs said in the statement.

He said a deputy from Napa County Sheriff's Office exchanged gunfire with the suspect that eliminated "the ability for the suspect to go out and find further victims" at the venue of the veterans' home.

Childs did not confirm whether the hostages were chosen at random or were targeted.

CHP special police team and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit were called in to search for possible bombs in the gunman's rented vehicle, which was discovered by police in the parking lot.

They found nothing and cleared the car, which poses no threat to public safety, Childs said.

On Friday morning, the 36-year-old gunman, who was dressed in black armor and was armed with an automatic rifle, entered the veterans' home and took the three women hostage.

The Yountville home, which opened in 1884 and is the nation's largest veterans' home, houses about 1,000 elderly and disabled residents, according to the California Department of Veterans Affairs.