Early morning just after 6:30 am (PDT), authorities began receiving calls about shots being fired at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) facility in San Jose, California. “When law enforcement arrived on scene, multiple people had been shot in two separate buildings, the sheriff’s office said, and the shooting was ongoing” (abc7). When law enforcement made contact with gunman Samuel Cassidy, he committed suicide before authorities could fire their weapons. Cassidy had an open hatred of his job and workplace long before, and in 2016 was stopped by U.S. customs and border officers when he returned from a trip to the Philippians in possession of books on terrorism, fear, and manifestos, as well as a personal notebook with notes on his hatred for the VTA (abc news).
Upon searching his home, investigators found Cassidy had stockpiled weapons including “12 guns, multiple cans of gasoline and suspected Molotov cocktails (NPR)” and 25,000 rounds of ammunition.
It is the San Francisco Bay Area’s deadliest mass shooting.
Date of event: May 26, 2021
Impact:
- 9 fatalities
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Photo: Santa Clara County Sherrif’s deputies block access to the VTA railyard a day after the 2021 San Jose shooting where 9 people were killed. (Credit Legoktm)