A public transportation worker in San Jose, California, shot and murdered nine people at a train yard Wednesday morning before fatally shooting himself. The shooter, 57-year-old Caucasian male Samuel Cassidy, was recognized by authorities.
Near the scene of the tragedy, at least one explosive device was discovered. Firefighters discovered the shooter’s residence, some 10 miles distant, on fire. All or most of the victims are thought to be coworkers.
Their names are Paul Delacruz Megia, Taptejdeep Singh, Adrian Balleza, Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, Timothy Michael Romo, Michael Joseph Rudometkin, Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, Lars Kepler Lane and Alex Ward Fritch.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said “It begs the damn question: What the hell is going on in the United States of America? What the hell is wrong with us? And when are we going to come to grips with this? When are we going to put down our arms, literally and figuratively?”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, San Jose was the 232nd mass shooting in the United States this year. That is 100 more mass shootings than were reported by this time last year.
President Biden encouraged Congress to act quickly to enact tighter gun control legislation. In a statement, he stated, “I have the solemn duty yet again of ordering the flag to be lowered at half-staff, just weeks after doing so following the mass shootings at spas in and around Atlanta; in a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado; at a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina; and at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.”
