A former postal employee opened fire at a Goleta sorting station blocks away from UC Santa Barbara Monday night, killing three people and critically wounding a fourth, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department officials said.

All of the victims were employees of the facility, sheriff's officials said.

One of the dead died at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, according to authorities, and two were pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting took place at 9:15 p.m., said Capt. Keith Cullom of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The county postal sorting station is at 400 Storke Road, across the street from Santa Barbara County Fire Station 11, where witnesses ran immediately after gunfire broke out, Cullom said.

The suspect was still at-large early this morning. Officials identified the suspect as Jennifer San Marco, a 5-foot-5-inch woman with brown eyes and brown, crew-cut hair. Police believe San Marco was driving a green 1993 Toyota MR2 with a California license plate of 3JKK926, and warned that she may have a semi-automatic handgun. She remained at large at midnight Monday.

The first two deceased victims were found near the entrance of the postal station, officials said. The third was pronounced dead at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where the fourth victim remained in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head late Monday night.

None of the victim's names were immediately released.

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Postal worker Dan Padre said he was inside the sorting facility at the time of the shooting. He heard a loud noise, but did not know the source. Padre then heard a second noise and saw people start running out of the building, he said. Padre said he did not see the suspect or the victims.

Police had cordoned off the area on Storke Road, about a half mile from UCSB, and were searching the area for the suspect late Monday night, officials said.

As of late Monday night, no weapon had been found at the scene, officials said.

It took police two hours to secure a perimeter around the building, and S.W.A.T. team members were carefully moving into the building as if the suspect were still inside. Officials also acknowledged that the shooter could be one of the wounded.

Postal workers and witnesses were evacuated to Fire Station 11, where they were interviewed by police officers Monday night.

More than 100 officers from several different agencies, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and Santa Barbara Police Department, remained on the scene at midnight.

Executive Editor Tom Bolton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

January 31, 2006