SAN JOSE, Calif. â In one of the Bay Areaâs worst mass shootings, a Valley Transportation Authority employee known for nursing grievances and a hot temper opened fire early Wednesday morning at a VTA light rail yard building, killing eight people and wounding others before taking his own life, authorities said.
Rochelle Hawkins, a VTA mechanic, said when she heard shots she dropped her phone.
âI was running so fast, I just ran for my life,â she said. âI would hope everyone would just pray for the VTA family. Just pray for us.â
The gunman was identified by multiple sources as Samuel Cassidy, a 57-year-old VTA maintenance worker. Authorities would not say what might have led to the rampage, what type of weapon was used or whether he obtained it legally.
Associated Press
Two people hug outside the scene of a shooting Wednesday at a railyard in San Jose, Calif. Previous Next
Thursday, May 27, 2021 1:00 am
Worker kills 8 at railyard
Takes own life in morning shooting in Silicon Valley
Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. – An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard, killing eight people before taking his own life as law enforcement rushed in, authorities said, marking the latest attack in a year that has seen a sharp increase in mass killings as the nation emerges from coronavirus restrictions.
The shooting took place around 6:30 a.m. in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in the San Francisco Bay Area. The facility in San Jose includes a transit-control center, parking for trains and a maintenance yard.
A gunman opened fire Wednesday morning at a public transit rail yard in San Jose, California, killing at least eight co-workers and wounding others, Deputy Russell Davis of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said.
Samuel Cassidy, 57, opened fire at the at the Valley Transportation Authority yard in Santa Clara shortly before 7am, before he turned the gun on himself.