Source: Philip Pacheco / Getty
Another mass shooting has taken place in America, this time taking place near San Jose California.
A gunman had “opened fire at a rail yard” near the city during the morning of May 26, injuring many and killing eight individuals.
The shooter has also died as the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office believes that he “took his own life.”
From WEWS News 5 Cleveland:
“I can confirm with you that deputies did not exchange gunfire and right now we’re going to preliminarily go with the assumption that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound from the suspect,” said Deputy Russell Davis during a briefing.
Multiple outlets, including The Associated Press and CBS News, have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy.
In a press conference, Russell Davis, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the suspect was an employee at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) maintenance rail yard, where he opened fire.
According to Davis, “the SCSO had received information that there may be explosives in the building.” Luckily, that building was soon evacuated.
“We actually had an explosives dog on scene, which detected some kind of explosive material at the crime scene itself. At that point, we activated the sheriff’s office bomb squad, who is currently on scene and will render any kind of suspicious packaging safe at that point,” adds Davis.
Here is a video with updates on the scene:
The FBI is helping out with the investigation with Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair saying “it’s going to take some time to process.”
VTA also mentioned that light rail service was suspended as of Noon local time with more bus services being added to assist passengers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sent out some tweets with an update on the investigation and his thoughts with the families impacted by the shooting.
Gov. Newsom also spoke to reporters on what happened.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo spoke at a press conference on how the shooting “is a very dark moment for our city and our community.”
“These are and were essential workers. They helped us get through a horrific pandemic,” says Liccardo, who also took to his Twitter account to tweet about the shooting.
Flags have been ordered by Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman to be lowered at half staff to remember the victims.
President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the shooting:
“We are still awaiting many of the details of this latest mass shooting, but there are some things we know for sure. There are at least eight families who will never be whole again. There are children, parents, and spouses who are waiting to hear whether someone they love is ever going to come home. There are union brothers and sisters – good, honest, hardworking people – who are mourning their own.”
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Article Courtesy of WEWS News 5 Cleveland
First and Second Picture Courtesy of Philip Pacheco and Getty Images
First and Third Video Courtesy of Facebook and WEWS News 5 Cleveland
Second Video and First through Seventh Tweet Courtesy of Twitter and WEWS News 5 Cleveland
