Last updated on June 2, 2021
In a rail yard in San Jose, California, nine victims were killed by a gunman who then took his own life. The gunman, was identified as Sam Cassidy, who worked for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) property, which was where the nine people he killed also worked.
Workers from the VTA property, believe that Cassidy’s motive to killing his coworkers was his hatred for the company itself. In 2016, a memo book that belonged to Cassidy had notes that expressed his hatred for the company (VTA) that he worked for, as well as the colleagues that he worked with. A Department of Homeland Security official had also found books about terrorism, fear and manifestos. (CNN)
Sam Cassidy was able to kill nine colleagues that he worked with, but the amount of ammunition and firearms that police found after the tragedy, showed that was willing to kill as many people as he possibly could. Investigator’s reported that in Cassidy’s home, they found, 12 firearms, 20 cans of petrol, and about 22,000 rounds of ammunition. Police had also noted that before Sam Cassidy had set out to complete the attack on the workers at VTA, he had set his home on fire. (BBC)
The victims of the active shooting were, (BBC)
- Paul Delacruz Megia, 42
- Taptejdeep Singh, 36
- Adrian Balleza, 29
- Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 35
- Timothy Michael Romo, 49
- Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40
- Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63
- Lars Kepler Lane, 63
- Alex Ward Fritch, 49
It has been hard for the San Jose community to move on from the loss they have experienced, but a memorial has been set up outside the San Jose City Hall, where the citizens have brought flowers and faith leaders, VTA officials and agency union’s came together to honor the victims who had been lost.
The Mayor, Sam Liccardo spoke in honor of the victims saying, “We’re here to share our pain. We’re here to share our love, to share our support for each other,” he said. “We’re here to express a singular message in our community: We will heal, and we will heal together.” (LA Times)
Many VTA officials spoke during the vigil expressing their love for the VTA community, and continuously described the community as a “family.”
Naunihal Singh, the superintendent of the light rail yard continues to remember a few of the victims he worked with, describing them all with positivity. Paul Delacruz Megia was described by Singh as as a man who always did what he was asked with a smile and who was “always willing to help his employees.” Naunihal Singh also described Taptejdeep Singh as, someone who always had questions about how he could make the VTA community a better place. (LA Times)
The San Jose shooting was one of many mass shootings during 2021. So far, there have been 232 mass shootings in America, with the number increasing every day. As compared to the 614 mass shootings in 2020, the United States is on track to have more shootings in 2021 than any recent year on record. (Insider.com)
Be First to Comment