The middle-aged man who opened fire at 6:34am on his co-workers in a San Jose maintenance facility of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, killing eight, had earlier in the day set fire to his East San Jose home. according to law enforcement authorities.
The man, identified by Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Russell Davis as a Valley Transportation Authority employee, opened fire at the light rail yard in San Jose at the start of a union meeting.
Davis confirmed that nine people were killed in the attack, including the shooter.
The VTA attackl was the most deadly mass shooting in the Bay Area since a 1993 shooting on California Street in San Francisco, which also claimed 9 lives, with six wounded.
Davis said the VTA attacker had set his Angmar Court house on fire prior to the shooting.
He also revealed that investigators found an explosive device at the VTA facility after the shooting, which occurred less than a block away from the the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. He said the department's bomb squad had been activated, out of concern that additional explosive devices might be at the scene.
No information was available as of noon Wednesday about those killed in the shooting, whether others were wounded, or any details about the shooting, except that it occurred outside, in an open area of the maintenance facility.
A media briefing was scheduled for 1:30pm.
The FBI has been called in to assist in the investigation.
Union representatives did not return phone calls Wednesday morning, and the VTA was not responding to media inquiries, which had jammed its voicemail box.
VTA Board Chair Glenn Hendricks released a statement, announcing that the light rail service would be suspended indefinitely beginning at noon Wednesday, and replaced by additional buses.
“It’s very difficult for the VTA family to wrap our heads around this,” he said. “It’s a very sad day for us.”
“This is a horrible day for San Jose,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
Time to find out what caused this shooter to react so negatively. His friend indicated that he was treated poorly by his co-workers. The shooting at the cement factory in Cupertino was also done by an employee who was harassed by the co-workers he shot. It seems work place harassment by others is a lead up to this type of shooting. A lot of support is given to the families of the shooters targets but little is said about WHY the shooter felt he only way to stop harassment was with a gun. Did anyone check the HR records or talk to management to see if the shooter had asked for help? Being kind to others you work with could prevent things like this. All workers should rethink their comments/teasing of those they work with to make sure their comments are not hurtful or demeaning.
When seconds count, the police are only minuets away.
Perhaps once we provide our police officers speed-of-light vehicles their response time to such tragedies will be as instantaneous as are today the stupid comments from the likes of M.T. Gunn.
The same people that want to defund police are the same stupid ones that with disarm you.
You don’t matter Phu Tan. Death by stupidity!