Multiple People Dead in Mass Shooting Near San Jose VTA Light Rail Yard: Sources

Multiple People Dead in Mass Shooting Near San Jose VTA Light Rail Yard: Sources
Law enforcement officers gather near the site of a reported shooting in San Jose, Calif., on May 26, 2021. Courtesy of KGO
Tribune News Service
Updated:
By Rick Hurd From The Mercury News

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Multiple people are dead in a mass shooting early Wednesday morning near a VTA light rail yard and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, according to authorities.

The shooter is also dead, authorities said.

Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office spokesman Russell Davis confirmed the shooters’ death but was unable to confirm the exact number of dead and injured. He said more information would be released later Wednesday morning.

“There’s a lot of speculation on fatalities,” Davis said during a press conference at the scene. “I don’t have a number for you. Everything is preliminary. It just happened.”

Governor Gavin Newsom said in a Tweet that his office was “in close contact with local law enforcement and monitoring this situation closely.”

Police respond to a shooting in San Jose, Calif., on May 26, 2021. (Courtesy of KGO)
Police respond to a shooting in San Jose, Calif., on May 26, 2021. Courtesy of KGO

The reported shooting occurred in the area of the 100 block of West Younger Avenue and San Pedro Street, according to Twitter messages from San Jose police and the Santa Clara sheriff’s office. The first reports of the shooting came around 6:34 a.m.

According to Davis, some of the shooting victims are VTA employees. KTVU reported that it spoke to the mother of an employee who reported that the shooting happened at a union meeting. It was not known immediately if the shooting happened inside or outside, Davis said.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said on Twitter just after 8 a.m. that several people were being treated. Liccardo also said the “shooter is no longer a threat” and that the facility was evacuated.

Authorities were asking people to stay away from the area of East Taylor Street, West Hedding Street and East Mission Street. They were holding a staging area for families who may have relatives in the area at the sheriff’s office headquarters, which are next door to the VTA light rail yard.

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