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An employee opened fire at a light-rail facility in San Jose, California, killing eight people and wounding several others, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect was identified as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, two law enforcement sources told CBS News.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 calls about shots fired at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority around 6:34 a.m. local time. Employees of the facility were evacuated from the building, which operates as a transit control center.
A bomb squad is working to determine if there are explosive devices inside the facility, according to Deputy Russell Davis, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department. “We received information that there are explosive devices located inside the building,” Davis said in a news conference Wednesday. “We are trying to clear out every room and every crevice of that building.”
Davis said deputies at the scene did not exchange gunfire with the suspect and believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Some of the victims were employees of the facility and they have not yet been identified.
“I want to remind everybody that these folks were heroes COVID-19. The buses never stopped running. VTA never stopped running. They kept at work and we are calling on them to be heroes a second time – to survive such a terrible tragedy,” said Cindy Chavez, a supervisor for Santa Clara County.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who serves on the VTA board, applauded first responders at the scene and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. “This is a very dark moment for our city and for our community but we have already seen how people are pulling together in this very, very tough time.”
Noah Berger/AP
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