2021 San Jose shooting: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 37°21′15″N 121°54′30″W / 37.35417°N 121.90833°W / 37.35417; -121.90833
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[[Gun laws in California|California's gun laws]] are among the strictest in the country.<ref>{{cite news|first=Bob|last=Egelko|title=Do strict guns laws work to prevent violence? Depends on whom you ask|date=May 27, 2021|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Do-strict-guns-laws-work-to-prevent-violent-16208947.php|access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> In 2013, the state banned the sale of [[Magazine (firearms)|magazines]] holding more than ten [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]]. In 2016, voters passed [[2016 California Proposition 63|Proposition 63]], which banned possession of them as well. However, a U.S. district court struck down the ban in March 2019 before a stay of the injunction was issued pending appeal, subsequently leaving open a brief window in which it was legal to purchase the [[high-capacity magazine]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=San Jose mass shooting: VTA killer evaded California's tough gun laws|first=John|last=Woolfolk|work=The Mercury News|location=San Jose, California|date=May 27, 2021|accessdate=May 28, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/27/san-jose-mass-shooting-killer-evaded-californias-tough-gun-laws/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Maggie|last1=Angst|first2=Robert|last2=Solonga|title=San Jose's mass shooting marks the deadliest in the Bay Area. What we know the day after|date=May 27, 2021|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2021/05/27/heres-what-we-know-about-the-san-jose-railyard-shooting-the-day-after/|access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> California has also adopted a [[red flag law]] that enables law enforcement authorities to seize a person's firearms based on a gun violence restraining order. In 2019, 122 such restraining orders were requested in Santa Clara County.<ref name="MercuryNews Salonga Castañeda">{{cite news|title=Santa Clara County DA: VTA shooter could have been stopped if feds told local authorities about prior detention|first1=Robert|last1=Salonga|first2=Leonardo|last2=Castañeda|work=The Mercury News|location=San Jose, California|date=June 4, 2021|accessdate=June 6, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/04/santa-clara-county-da-vta-shooter-could-have-been-stopped-if-feds-told-local-authorities-about-prior-detention/}}</ref>
[[Gun laws in California|California's gun laws]] are among the strictest in the country.<ref>{{cite news|first=Bob|last=Egelko|title=Do strict guns laws work to prevent violence? Depends on whom you ask|date=May 27, 2021|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Do-strict-guns-laws-work-to-prevent-violent-16208947.php|access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> In 2013, the state banned the sale of [[Magazine (firearms)|magazines]] holding more than ten [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]]. In 2016, voters passed [[2016 California Proposition 63|Proposition 63]], which banned possession of them as well. However, a U.S. district court struck down the ban in March 2019 before a stay of the injunction was issued pending appeal, subsequently leaving open a brief window in which it was legal to purchase the [[high-capacity magazine]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=San Jose mass shooting: VTA killer evaded California's tough gun laws|first=John|last=Woolfolk|work=The Mercury News|location=San Jose, California|date=May 27, 2021|accessdate=May 28, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/27/san-jose-mass-shooting-killer-evaded-californias-tough-gun-laws/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Maggie|last1=Angst|first2=Robert|last2=Solonga|title=San Jose's mass shooting marks the deadliest in the Bay Area. What we know the day after|date=May 27, 2021|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2021/05/27/heres-what-we-know-about-the-san-jose-railyard-shooting-the-day-after/|access-date=May 28, 2021}}</ref> California has also adopted a [[red flag law]] that enables law enforcement authorities to seize a person's firearms based on a gun violence restraining order. In 2019, 122 such restraining orders were requested in Santa Clara County.<ref name="MercuryNews Salonga Castañeda">{{cite news|title=Santa Clara County DA: VTA shooter could have been stopped if feds told local authorities about prior detention|first1=Robert|last1=Salonga|first2=Leonardo|last2=Castañeda|work=The Mercury News|location=San Jose, California|date=June 4, 2021|accessdate=June 6, 2021|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/04/santa-clara-county-da-vta-shooter-could-have-been-stopped-if-feds-told-local-authorities-about-prior-detention/}}</ref>

The [[Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting|last mass shooting]] in Santa Clara County occurred on July 28, 2019, when a gunman killed three people and then himself at the [[Gilroy Garlic Festival]].<ref name=AP.Shooting/>


== Events ==
== Events ==

Revision as of 04:47, 9 June 2021

2021 San Jose shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
Sheriff's deputies block access to the VTA Guadalupe Division yard a day after the shooting took place.
Location101 West Younger Avenue
San Jose, California
United States
Coordinates37°21′15″N 121°54′30″W / 37.35417°N 121.90833°W / 37.35417; -121.90833
DateMay 26, 2021 (2021-05-26)
c. 6:30[1] – 6:43 a.m.[2] (PDT)
TargetStaff at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority facility
Attack type
Mass shooting, murder–suicide, workplace shooting, arson
WeaponsThree semiautomatic handguns[3]
Deaths10 (including the perpetrator)
PerpetratorSamuel James Cassidy

On May 26, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail yard in San Jose, California. Ten people were killed during the shooting, including the gunman, identified as 57-year-old VTA employee Samuel James Cassidy, who committed suicide.[1][4] It is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the San Francisco Bay Area.[5]

Background

The

light rail services throughout Santa Clara County and employs about 2,000 workers.[6] The shooting took place at a light rail facility located in the Civic Center neighborhood of San Jose, near the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and San Jose Police Department headquarters. The facility is a transit control center that consists of five separate buildings and a light rail vehicle storage and maintenance yard.[7][8]

California's gun laws are among the strictest in the country.[9] In 2013, the state banned the sale of magazines holding more than ten rounds. In 2016, voters passed Proposition 63, which banned possession of them as well. However, a U.S. district court struck down the ban in March 2019 before a stay of the injunction was issued pending appeal, subsequently leaving open a brief window in which it was legal to purchase the high-capacity magazines.[10][11] California has also adopted a red flag law that enables law enforcement authorities to seize a person's firearms based on a gun violence restraining order. In 2019, 122 such restraining orders were requested in Santa Clara County.[12]

Events

The gunman left his house at 5:39 a.m.

UTC−07) the day of the shooting, having set it on fire. No one was inside the residence at the time.[13][14][15] According to police, he coordinated the fire with the shooting and ignited it by placing ammunition inside a pot on his stove, surrounding the pot with accelerants, and then turning on the stove.[16]

Building A at the VTA Guadalupe Division yard, where some of the victims were shot[17]

At 6:33 a.m., the

9-1-1 calls about shots being fired at the facility. Sheriff's deputies and police officers responded from their nearby offices.[6][7] When they arrived at 6:35 a.m., they found multiple people shot.[2][13]

The shooting occurred in two separate buildings at the maintenance yard during the busiest time of day, a shift change in which employees from the overnight and morning shifts overlapped.[5] Over 100 people were at the facility at the time of the shooting, according to the sheriff.[19] The shooting began in a conference room in Building B, on the western side of the yard, during a power crew meeting. The gunman then walked over to Building A on the eastern side, where he continued firing.[18][20] Police and witnesses later said the gunman targeted some of his victims and spared others from being shot.[20][21]

At 6:36 a.m., the fire at the gunman's house was first reported by a passerby. Two minutes later, the fire department responded to the home in South San Jose, about eight miles (13 kilometers) away from the VTA facility, and discovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a gas can there.[22] The house sustained heavy damage from the fire, with the second floor collapsing from the heat of the blaze.[16][23]

At the same time the house fire was reported, the fire department received another call confirming there was an active shooter at the facility.[18] At 6:38 a.m., responding officers heard more shots being fired.[2] About ten minutes after the first 9-1-1 calls were received, dispatchers reported the final sounds of gunshots.[18] At 6:43 a.m., officers found the gunman, who killed himself on the third floor of Building A as they were closing in.[2][6][13][24] According to the sheriff on June 1, the gunman first shot and injured himself under the chin, then fatally shot himself in the side of the head.[25]

At 7:12 a.m., the sheriff's office instructed the public to stay away from the vicinity of the facility.

semiautomatic handguns, which were equipped with 32 high-capacity magazines—some with 12 rounds and others with 15.[7][13][18]

About 40 people were rescued from the area by law enforcement.[13] Police received reports of explosive devices inside the building, prompting a bomb squad to investigate.[6] A locker belonging to the gunman was found to contain suspected materials for bombs and detonator cords,[13] which were later deemed not to be dangerous.[7] Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.[1] The FBI led the shooting site investigation, which concluded on May 31.[26]

Sheriff's deputies searched the gunman's house for three days, finding a total of 12 guns, 25,000 rounds of ammunition, and a dozen Molotov cocktails. As a precaution, bomb technicians also detonated a suspicious device at the house, using a specialized containing device that prevents the spread of shrapnel, but it turned out to be inert.[15]

Victims

There were ten fatalities in the shooting, including Cassidy. All were VTA employees.[22] Their ages ranged from 29 to 63 years old, and many of them were longtime employees.[21][27] Two of the victims were rushed to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in critical condition, but one was declared dead upon arrival and the other died later that day.[5][28] Five of the victims died in Building B, while the other four died at Building A.[24] Before their deaths, some of the victims had led coworkers to safety.[20]

It was the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the Bay Area, exceeding the death toll of the 101 California Street shooting that occurred at a law firm in San Francisco in 1993, in which nine people including the gunman were killed.[29][30][31]

Perpetrator

Police identified the gunman as 57-year-old VTA employee Samuel James Cassidy.[32] He had been employed at the VTA since 2012; for his first two years, he was a mechanic, and he later began maintaining substations. Cassidy's ex-wife, who had been married to him for ten years before their divorce in 2005, described him as having anger issues and often being angry at his coworkers and at the VTA for what he believed to be its unfair work assignments.[33] She also said that he had talked about killing people at his workplace more than a decade ago.[14] According to coworkers, Cassidy was angered over a change in policy that ended cash payouts for unused vacation days and, in April 2021, aired his grievances over the radio communication system for light rail operators.[34] Cassidy's sister said that she suspected something happened at work on May 25 that motivated her brother to commit the shooting the day after.[23]

An August 2016 memo by the

Jeffrey F. Rosen said that, had his office been alerted about Cassidy, they would have had enough evidence to obtain a gun violence restraining order and seize his weapons.[12]

Cassidy owned numerous registered firearms, including shotguns and long rifles, but he only used three semiautomatic handguns in the shooting, which were legally obtained.[7] Cassidy had a "minor criminal history" and was charged in 1983 with misdemeanor obstruction for resisting a peace officer.[14]

Aftermath and reactions

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stands on a stage with his head down with everyone around him in the audience doing the same.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo observes a moment of silence during a vigil for the victims of the shooting.

A hotline was set up for VTA employees and family members for additional information about the shooting and the victims.[8] The VTA also announced plans to help survivors and victims' families and partner with them on erecting a public memorial to the victims.[36] VTA light rail service was suspended on the day of the shooting and replaced by a bus bridge.[37][38] Due to a staffing shortage and the inaccessibility of the facility where the shooting happened, the VTA discontinued the bus bridge on June 1 in favor of regular bus routes and confirmed that light rail service would be suspended indefinitely.[26][39] Some employees criticized the VTA's efforts to help them after the shooting, claiming it did not truly care for them.[40]

Mayor

half-staff and called the shooting a "horrific tragedy".[43] Governor Gavin Newsom made similar remarks during a visit to San Jose.[5]

Protesters at the May 26 vigil

The day after the shooting, a vigil was held outside San Jose City Hall and attended by hundreds, including the victims' families and many VTA employees, who were dressed in their work attire.[44]

Following reports that local law enforcement agencies were not informed by the

Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[45]

By coincidence,

1989 assault weapons ban. Although Cassidy did not use an assault weapon, Attorney General Rob Bonta cited the VTA shooting in a statement opposing the ruling.[46][47]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2021 San Jose shooting.

References

  1. ^ a b c Gecker, Jocelyn; Mendoza, Martha (May 26, 2021). "Authorities ID 8 victims of California railyard shooting". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Miller, Leila (June 2, 2021). "Deputy body-camera footage shows initial response to San Jose mass shooting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hanna, Jason; Campbell, Josh; Vera, Amir (May 27, 2021). "The San Jose gunman appeared to specifically target his victims, sheriff says". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Bomb Squad, Police Search Home of Suspect in San Jose VTA Yard Mass Shooting". San Jose, California: KNTV. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Angst, Maggie; Woolfolk, John; Toledo, Aldo; Sulek, Julia Prodis; Salonga, Robert; Green, Jason (May 26, 2021). "Victims, shooter identified in Bay Area's deadliest mass shooting". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Levenson, Eric; Chan, Stella; Mossburg, Cheri; Murphy, Paul P. (May 26, 2021). "Gunman who killed eight co-workers at California transit facility knew victims well, mayor says". CNN. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Woolfolk, John; Salonga, Robert; Savidge, Nico; Baron, Ethan (May 27, 2021). "San Jose shooting: VTA gunman was 'highly disgruntled,' had 32 illegal high-capacity magazines". East Bay Times. Walnut Creek, California. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Green, Matthew (May 26, 2021). "'A Horrible Tragedy': At Least 10 Killed in Mass Shooting at San Jose VTA Rail Yard". San Francisco: KQED-FM. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Egelko, Bob (May 27, 2021). "Do strict guns laws work to prevent violence? Depends on whom you ask". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Woolfolk, John (May 27, 2021). "San Jose mass shooting: VTA killer evaded California's tough gun laws". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Angst, Maggie; Solonga, Robert (May 27, 2021). "San Jose's mass shooting marks the deadliest in the Bay Area. What we know the day after". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Salonga, Robert; Castañeda, Leonardo (June 4, 2021). "Santa Clara County DA: VTA shooter could have been stopped if feds told local authorities about prior detention". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Anthony, Laura; Hollyfield, Amy; Martichoux, Alix; Noyes, Dan; Sierra, Stephanie (May 26, 2021). "Gunman who killed 9 in San Jose VTA railyard shooting fired 39 rounds, targeted victims". San Francisco: KGO-TV. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d Hayes, Christal (May 27, 2021). "'Such extreme steps': San Jose killer intricately planned rail attack with a simple motive in mind". USA Today. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Salonga, Robert (May 28, 2021). "12 guns, bombs and 25,000 bullets recovered from home of VTA shooter". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d Holcombe, Madeline; Vercammen, Paul; Mossburg, Cheri (May 28, 2021). "San Jose gunman had 22,000 rounds of ammunition at his house, which sheriff's office thinks he set on fire". CNN. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Savidge, Nico; Hurd, Rick; Salonga, Robert; Sulek, Julia Prodis; Woolfolk, John (May 26, 2021). "'I just ran for my life': Nine dead in mass shooting at San Jose VTA yard". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e Goard, Alyssa; Bott, Michael (May 27, 2021). "VTA Yard Shooting: Gunshots Appear to Have Continued for 10 Minutes After Initial Calls for Help". KNTV. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Police release dramatic bodycam video of San Jose rail yard shooting". USA Today. Associated Press. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Sulek, Julia Prodis; Savidge, Nico (May 30, 2021). "Horror at the VTA: The unbridled terror, true heroism behind Bay Area's deadliest mass shooting". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c Hanna, Jason; Campbell, Josh (May 27, 2021). "The San Jose gunman appeared to specifically target his victims, sheriff says". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  22. ^ a b McAuliff, Michael; Oliveira, Nelson (May 26, 2021). "8 people slain, suspected gunman kills himself in mass shooting at San Jose rail yard". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Sulek, Julia Prodis (May 28, 2021). "San Jose mass shooting: VTA shooter's family apologizes, says he felt lost to them for months". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Diagrams show mayhem during Samuel James Cassidy's rampage at S.J. rail yard". San Francisco Chronicle. May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Hanna, Jason; Meeks, Alexandra (June 2, 2021). "San Jose shooting: Body-camera footage shows tense moments as officers approach gunman". CNN. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Salonga, Robert (May 31, 2021). "VTA mass shooting: South Bay light-rail service suspended indefinitely". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  27. ^ Saric, Ivana (May 27, 2021). "What we know about the victims of the San Jose mass shooting". Axios. Arlington County, Virginia. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Arredondo, Vanessa; Vaziri, Aidin; Hernández, Lauren; Cabanatuan, Michael; Johnson, Julie; Narayan, Shwanika; Kopan, Tal (May 27, 2021). "San Jose shooting latest updates: Cassidy reportedly had been questioned by federal officials over 'hatred' of workplace". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  29. ^ Flores, Jessica (May 27, 2021). "San Jose mass shooting is now the deadliest in Bay Area history". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  30. ^ Woolfolk, John (May 26, 2021). "The Bay Area's deadliest mass shootings". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  31. ^ Clayton, Abené (May 28, 2021). "San Jose mourns after deadliest shooting in region's history: 'We can't sweep this under the rug'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  32. ^ Marcus, Josh (May 26, 2021). "Samuel Cassidy: Suspect identified in San Jose mass shooting that left 9 dead including gunman". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Hayes, Christal (May 26, 2021). "Who is San Jose suspect Samuel Cassidy? Ex-wife details anger problems, authorities probe whether fires linked to shooting that killed 8". USA Today. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  34. ^ DeBolt, David; Kelliher, Fiona; Salonga, Robert; Angst, Maggie (May 28, 2021). "VTA shooter blew up on radio dispatch, complained about pay, vacation, coworkers say". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  35. ^ Noyes, Dan (May 28, 2021). "Feds failed to tell VTA, law enforcement about San Jose shooter's detention in 2016, officials say". KGO-TV. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  36. ^ Vera, Vicente (May 27, 2021). "San Jose leaders honor VTA mass shooting victims". San José Spotlight. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  37. ^ Vera, Vicente (May 27, 2021). "San Jose councilmember mourns friend lost in VTA shooting". San José Spotlight. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  38. ^ Ross, Stacey Hendler (May 26, 2021). "Our Hearts are Broken" (Press release). Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  39. ^ Alaban, Lloyd (June 2, 2021). "Extra buses added after San Jose VTA shooting suspended". San José Spotlight. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  40. ^ Herrera, Sonya (June 2, 2021). "VTA workers face fear, frustration in wake of San Jose shooting". San José Spotlight. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  41. ^ Hanlon, Greg; Harris, Chris; Pelisek, Christine; Aradillas, Elaine (May 26, 2021). "At Least 9 People Killed in Shooting at California Light Rail Yard, Suspect Also Dead". People. Retrieved May 26, 2021.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Alaban, Lloyd (May 28, 2021). "San Jose mayor renews push for gun control after mass shooting". San José Spotlight. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  43. ^ Sullivan, Kate (May 26, 2021). "'Enough': Biden calls for action on guns in wake of San Jose shooting". CNN. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  44. ^ Angst, Maggie (May 27, 2021). "Hundreds gather to honor the nine victims in VTA mass shooting". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  45. ^ Hayes, Christal (May 28, 2021). "San Jose wasn't alerted that feds once detained rail yard killer for terrorist books, hateful writings, DA says". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  46. ^ Moleski, Vincent (June 5, 2021). "California officials to fight to restore assault weapons ban". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  47. ^ Wigglesworth, Alex; Curwen, Thomas (June 5, 2021). "California officials decry ruling overturning assault weapons ban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2021.

External links

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