A gunman working for a public transit company opened fire at a company site in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, killing at least eight people before committing suicide, according to police, marking another incident in the United States' ongoing issue with mass shootings. Russell Davis from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office confirmed, "I can confirm that eight people have died... and the suspect is deceased," warning that the death toll might rise. He added that "the suspect was an employee of VTA," referring to the local transportation authority.
Laurie Smith from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office stated that the suspect committed suicide when law enforcement arrived on scene. Smith confirmed, "The suspect took his own life when he realized that law enforcement had arrived. Our personnel were there at that time." Several media outlets reported that the suspect's name was Samuel Cassidy, 57 years old.
Authorities announced that they had received information about "explosive devices inside the building," and bomb disposal units were present at the site to "ensure public safety." Numerous injuries were also reported from the shooting, which occurred in a train maintenance yard in San Jose, located in Silicon Valley, a tech hub with a population of around one million. The police rushed to the shooting scene after receiving multiple calls.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the incident and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on government buildings. In a statement, Biden urged Congress to act immediately and consider the will of the American people, calling for an end to the "epidemic of gun violence." California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom remarked, "We have a sense that this is happening over and over again." White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, stating, "Clearly, as the President said, we are suffering from an epidemic of gun violence in this country," reiterating calls for Congress to pass long-awaited reforms to restrict gun possession.
The shooting, reported around 7:00 a.m. local time (14:00 GMT), allegedly took place during a union meeting, according to a survivor's mother cited by a Fox News affiliate. The police did not immediately provide details about the type of weapon used, while dozens of police vehicles and fire trucks lined the streets surrounding the train yard. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stated that several individuals were receiving treatment. He tweeted, "Our hearts ache for the families of the victims we have lost in this horrifying shooting."
The facility where the incident occurred is a control center for the Valley Transportation Authority in the area, also used for train parking and maintenance. The transportation authority tweeted that its employees were evacuated without affecting public transport services.
The United States has a long and painful history of gun violence, particularly mass shootings targeting schools, workplaces, and shopping centers. The rate of gun homicides in the U.S. increased last year. Several mass shootings have occurred in recent months at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, an office building in California, a grocery store in Colorado, and a series of massage parlors in Atlanta. In August 2019, another mass shooting in the Bay Area of California resulted in the deaths of two children and a 25-year-old man during a farm festival about 50 kilometers south of San Jose. Last month, President Joe Biden described gun violence as an "epidemic" and a "global embarrassment." More than 43,000 gun-related deaths were recorded in the U.S. last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
