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A police officer collects caution tape Tuesday outside the scene of a shooting at Kume spa in Oakland.

A police officer walks outside the site of a shooting Tuesday at Kume spa in Oakland.

A massage therapist critically injured in a shooting at the Kume Spa in Oakland on Tuesday was helping hide his colleagues and customers when he was shot by a co-worker, the business’ owners said Saturday.

Oakland police have said an employee of the spa walked into the building at 614 Grand Ave. near Lake Merritt shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday and opened fire, hitting one man before turning the gun on herself. The woman, a Berkeley resident, later died at a local hospital, police said.

Authorities said the shooting appeared to have been an attempted homicide and suicide, and no other suspects are outstanding.

The spa’s owners confirmed in a statement Saturday that the assailant was an employee. In a separate GoFundMe post, the spa said the injured therapist, who is hospitalized, has awakened from a coma and is recovering. “When he regained consciousness, the first words uttered were to ask if his coworkers were okay,” according to the GoFundMe post.

The therapist “was shot multiple times while making sure his other coworkers were hidden in safe places,” the spa owners said in the statement.

Another therapist, who was not injured, alerted the front desk to evacuate and call 911 when the shooting started, they said.

“We are so grateful and proud of these two employees who stepped up, risking their own lives, to protect their co-workers and clients,” the spa owners said in the statement. “Their bravery saved countless lives and we are honored to know, and work with, these heroes.”

The owners, identified only as Christy and Carrie on the Kume Spa website, addressed the statement to the community and emailed a copy to The Chronicle.

They said that while they could not “speak to the state of mind of the shooter, who was sadly one of our staff and later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, this tragedy was a reminder to all of us that we never know what someone is experiencing in their private lives.”

“This incident is a reminder to all of us that we should treat all with kindness, extend grace and take time to ask someone how they are doing,” they said.

“At this time we are focused on healing,” the spa owners said. “We are grateful to our employees and community for their support, we need it now more than ever.”

Lauren Hernández is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez

Lauren Hernández joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2018. She covers breaking news, crime and general news. Previously, she was a breaking news reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. She studied journalism at San Jose State University, and was born and raised in Los Angeles. Hernández has bylines in the Silicon Valley Business Journal and The Desert Sun. Her reporting has received awards in California and Oregon. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the CCNMA Latino Journalists of California.