Crime & Justice

9 Die in shooting in California

San Francisco, May 26 (EFE).- Nine people, including the perpetrator, died Wednesday in a shooting at a rail yard in San Jose, California, authorities said.

Several other people were wounded, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Russell Davis, who said that the investigation at the crime scene could not begin until explosive devices found on the site were safely removed.

“It’s going to take some time for us just to go in there and render the area safe so we can have investigators going on scene to determine – collect evidence and gather all the information that we can at this point,” he said.

The crime was carried out by a single shooter, Davis said.

“Public safety is assured at this point,” he said.

The tragedy unfolded at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) control center and maintenance yard in San Jose, roughly 80 km (50 mi) south of San Francisco.

Authorities received a telephone call at 6:34 am about shots fired and law enforcement rushed to the VTA facility, located near the sheriff’s office and the headquarters of the San Jose Police Department.

The county sheriff, Laurie Smith, told reporters that law enforcement officers entered the VTA building while the shooting was in progress.

“We appreciate San Jose PD was with us immediately going into the building,” she said. “Our teams showed exemplary behavior – what they’re trained to do – as shots were still being fired. Our teams with San Jose PD were entering the building while shots were still going off.”

The shooter was identified as VTA employee Samuel James Cassidy.

Media outlets cited unnamed sources as saying that Cassidy took his own life.

A home that was reported to be on fire around the same time as the shooting belonged to Cassidy, the outlets said. While no one was present inside the residence, firefighters responding to the call discovered a large quantity of ammunition and several empty gasoline cans.

San Jose, with just over a million residents, is California’s third most populous city and the hub of Silicon Valley. EFE

arc/dr

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