Witness Stacey Falk describes to members of the media this morning what she saw during a shooting Tuesday night in an exercise class at LA Fitness in the Great Southern shopping center in Bridgeville. Falk was in the class when a gunman walked in and began shooting at only women, killing three, wounding nine, and then shooting himself.

BRIDGEVILLE — Investigators were trying to determine why a gunman walked into a fitness center and fired up to 52 shots only at women gathered in a dance exercise class, killing three and wounding nine before shooting himself.

Two women and the man believed to be the shooter died at the LA Fitnes center in Collier Township on Tuesday night, and another woman died on the way to a hospital, Allegheny County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said at a news conference in the center's parking lot early today.

"He walked right into the room where the shootings occurred as if he knew exactly where he was going," Moffatt said. "I think he went in with the idea of doing what he did."

A person close to the Allegheny County coroner's office said the gunman was George Sodini, 48, who lived in Carnegie, just a few miles from the health club. The person wasn't authorized to comment on the gunman's identity and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a Web site posted under his name, Sodini wrote rambling messages about his hatred of women and how he was tired of being rejected by them. He ended by writing, "Death Lives!"

The violence rocked Collier, a bedroom community of about 5,300 residents near Interstate 79. The county established a police command post at a nearby Bob Evans restaurant, where witnesses were interviewed and members of the media were briefed shortly after the shooting; family of victims were encouraged to gather at a nearby fire hall.

Joann Gazzam, a member of the weekly "Latin impact" dance aerobics class, saw Sodini walk to the back of the room near some weights, set down a bag and fumble with it for a few minutes before coming up with what appeared to be two guns and opening fire, according to her sister, Debi Wozniak of Dormont.

Gazzam told Wozniak the instructor was among those who appeared to have been shot and Sodini had killed himself."She told me, 'Debi, I seen everything. Oh, my God, I seen everything. I seen him pull out the guns,"' said Wozniak, who usually attends the class every Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. but was running late and didn't make it. Police said the shooting happened about 8:15 p.m.The clean-shaven Sodini walked in the room wearing workout gear, turned off the lights and, at first nobody knew what was happening, said Stacey Falk, 26, of Bridgeville, who was in the class."All of us girls were just ducking behind each other, and it was just, you know, I was behind a girl, one of the girls in front to get hit, and when he was in the opposite corner shooting, I booked it," she said.Moffatt said police were not sure who the target of the shooting was, but witnesses said moments after the incident an ex-girlfriend might have been targeted. Moffatt wouldn't confirm that.Moffatt said Sodini went into the health club planning to shoot several people — firing "multiple" weapons "indiscriminately" — and didn't say anything before unleashing a burst of bullets.Sodini was a member of the health club and had identification, but police needed to check fingerprints and speak to his family to confirm his identity, Moffatt said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said three of the four victims had been positively identified early today, but their names would likely not be released before midmorning.Moffatt said police recovered at least two guns from the scene and a note was found in Sodini's duffel bag, but he would not say whether the shooter had written it.

Members of the media set up outside the LA Fitness health club early today in the Great Southern shopping center in Bridgeville for a news conference and to hear from witnesses. A gunman opened fire Tuesday night after walking into an exercise class. A person close to the Allegheny County coroner's office said the gunman was George Sodini, 48, who lived of Carnegie.