A shooting at a rail yard in San Jose, California, left nine people dead, including the gunman, and others injured, authorities said Wednesday. Many details remained unknown.
What the Authorities Are Saying
Deputy Russell Davis, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, said the investigation was centered on 101 W. Younger Ave., the site of a maintenance and dispatch center for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
Davis said police started receiving 911 calls about 6:34 a.m. local time. He said deputies arrived at the hub and found “multiple victims that were shot at the scene.” He later told reporters that eight people were killed.
VTA employees were among the victims, he said. The gunman was also dead, Davis said. He took his own life, officials said.
Senior California law enforcement officials identified the gunman as Samuel James Cassidy, 57, a maintenance worker who had been with the VTA at least a decade.
Davis said he did not know what kind of weapon was used or a possible motive. He added that bomb squad teams were working to make the area safe.
Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose said in an interview that “at least several people” were killed in the shooting. He said the facility had been evacuated.
“It appears that the suspect’s house is on fire, but that there was nobody inside,” Liccardo said. “There’s a strange connection here between arson and the shooting.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said the shooting raised stark questions for the country. "What the hell is wrong with us," he said, "and when are we going to come to grips with this?"
Where the Shooting Happened
Glenn Hendricks, chairman of the VTA board of directors, told reporters Wednesday that the shooting took place in the yard of the facility, not “the operations control center.”
He described the site as a maintenance yard where VTA vehicles are maintained and dispatched. He added that the VTA would suspend light rail service Wednesday. “It’s just a horrible tragedy that has occurred,” he said. “I have no information about the investigation or what happened.”
Brandi Childress, a spokesperson for the VTA, said employees were on the job at the time of the shooting.
“It is where we have dispatchers and maintenance,” she said. “They get up early, and they are there. That is why the focus is on containing and evacuating employees. It is where we store and maintain all of our trains.”
What We Know About the Gunman
Cassidy was described as someone who made those around him fearful.
Liccardo said co-workers had “expressed generalized concerns about his mental health.” Connie Wang, 58, a former girlfriend of the suspect, said she had not seen or spoken to him in 12 years but described him as someone who was “not mentally stable.”