Suspect who opened fire at San Jose rail yard ID’d as VTA employee, killed 9 before turning gun on self
Law enforcement officers respond to the scene of a shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) facility on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:09 AM PT – Thursday, May 27, 2021
An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard and killed nine people before taking his own life. The local community is reeling after the devastating mass shooting.
“This morning (Wednesday) at 6:34 a.m., Santa Clara County Communications Center received multiple 9-1-1 calls of a shots fired call located in the area of 101 West Younger Avenue in San Jose, which is a Valley Transportation Authority hub for VTA,” announced Deputy Russell Davis of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department
In a press conference, Deputy Davis said 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, an employee at the Valley Transportation Authority, was deceased after turning the gun on himself. The incident happened earlier in the day at the VTA facility, which provides transit services throughout the bay area.
Meanwhile, as the investigation continues, a number of officials have spoken out on the tragedy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) weighed in on the shooting.
“There’s a numbness, I imagine, some of us are feeling about this because there’s a sameness to this,” stated the governor. “…More scenes like this repeated over and over and over again.”
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen also expressed his deepest sentiments .
“We know, tragically, that mass shootings affect different people in different ways and over different periods of time,” he stated. “We are offering grief counseling, mental health counseling, victim compensation services, experts and many shoulders to cry on.”
***UPDATE***
Detectives are currently processing the scene. Updates to follow.The Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their loved ones from today’s incident. pic.twitter.com/uLi89cqnR6
— SantaClaraCoSheriff (@SCCoSheriff) May 27, 2021
All of the victims have been identified as colleagues of the gunman. Investigators offered no immediate word on a possible motive.