At least 3 dead, 15 injured in Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting; gunman also dead

At least 3 dead, 15 injured in Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting; gunman also dead

A capturing at the famed Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday night left at least three lifeless and 15 injured, sending hundreds of terrified site visitors jogging for their lives.

The famous meals festival on the “Garlic Capital of the World” in Santa Clara County was about to shut round 5:30 p.M. Whilst at least one gunman opened fireplace. Authorities stated law enforcement officials fatally shot the assailant, but they had been persevering with to investigate whether or not he had an accomplice.

Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee stated witnesses said that a second guy was one way or the other involved, however police had been nonetheless searching for him. He stated the gunman become capable of steer clear of the festival’s protection by entering from a creek region and cutting via a fence.

The gunman become not right away identified, and Smithee said the purpose changed into doubtful.

Authorities stated the scene become still energetic late Sunday night time, with dozens of regulation enforcement officials from agencies across the region swarming the scene.

Witnesses said hearing a couple of rounds fired by way of a gunman armed with a rifle and wearing what gave the impression of a tactical vest and camouflage fatigues.

KNTV said that 6-year-antique Steven Romero of San Jose was killed in the shooting. His mother and grandmother had been additionally injured, in step with the NBC station.

Taylor Pellegrini, 25, said she turned into sitting on a bench close to the food court docket along with her boyfriend and  pals whilst she heard the sound of firecrackers. When the pops persevered and people commenced going for walks, she found out they were in risk.

“People have been yelling ‘active shooter, lively shooter,’ and a few people tripped and stayed at the ground so bullets didn’t hit them,” she stated. “People had been underneath tables and dropping their telephones and whatever they had of their hands.”

Pellegrini, who lives in Hollister, Calif., was able to get out fast because she and her pals have been close to an go out. As they walked to the nearby home of a pal, wherein they’d parked, they noticed police officers racing through the streets.

Pellegrini said security regarded vulnerable on the popular three-day pageant, which turned into set to end Sunday. Her bag became checked at the entrance, she said, however one in all her friend’s turned into no longer.

“I sense certainly scared,” said Pellegrini, who favors the competition for its wealthy food and music. “It makes me not need to go anywhere anymore.”

Vivian Zhang, 24, said she turned into walking toward the exit with two buddies when she heard pops and crackles, and then saw abrupt flashes of mild. A truck they had been standing next to changed into struck 4 instances; bullets ricocheted off the ground.

That’s once they started out running as fast as they might.

“They started out placing every person on the parking shuttles,” stated Zhang, an Oakland resident. “To their credit, the volunteers strolling it have been very responsive. They weren’t panicking.”

Everyone regarded disoriented, Zhang stated. Parents grabbed their children as police bumped into the crowd. “It’s a whole complete organization feeling of sheer terror,” stated Emily Gifford, Zhang’s 23-year-antique pal.

As Zhang changed into jogging, she said, she remembered wondering, “I am surviving a mass shooting proper now, however I’m no longer even sure if with a purpose to be proper in a second.”

One of Zhang’s buddies turned into on the 2017 Las Vegas music pageant wherein a gunman killed fifty eight people. Zhang remembers seeing Snapchat posts from the scene. Still, she by no means idea this can be her fact, in particular at a network event in rural California.

“It become getting nearer and in the direction of domestic,” she stated. “And now it befell to us.”

Videos from the scene confirmed humans screaming and walking throughout the festival grounds.

“Please pray every person. Random shooters began taking pictures everywhere,” one person tweeted. “One boy is dead up to now and others injured. We’re still ready even as they find them.”

“Scariest moments of my lifestyles at the Gilroy garlic competition,” any other individual tweeted. “I wish all and sundry made it out ok.”

One witness, Julissa Contreras, told KNTV that she noticed a white guy in his early to mid-30s firing a rifle that became “capable of shoot 3 to 4 shots a 2d.”

“It turned into just rapid firing,” she said. “I should see him shooting in only each direction. He wasn’t aiming at everyone specifically. It become just left to proper, proper to left…. He genuinely become prepared for what he become doing.”

Vielka Garrido, forty eight, changed into sitting together with her buddy and 19-12 months-vintage daughter, playing a San Jose traditional rock band referred to as TinMan as it played its remaining music at the competition.

She changed into streaming a live video on Facebook to reveal all people how a great deal a laugh they have been having. They have been ingesting seafood and spaghetti, and dancing.

“And then we listen boom, growth, boom,” Garrido said. “We thought it changed into fireworks, after which whilst we see the humans running — oh, my God, it became horrible.”

The shots felt near in which they have been sitting on the front of the stage. Her group started running too, finding safe haven in a shipping box wherein many other pageant-goers had been hiding.

As she was going for walks, she noticed someone performing CPR on a small infant.

Jack Van Breen, lead vocalist and guitarist for TinMan, advised KGO-TV that the band changed into playing an encore while he heard a pop. He turned in the route of the noise and noticed a person “in a inexperienced top with a grey handkerchief form of round his neck and what seemed to be an attack rifle.”

“He started out taking pictures again inside the route of wherein all the meals humans have been eating,” Van Breen stated. He directed his band individuals to clear the stage, which they ducked under in order that they couldn’t be seen.

Van Breen told the Associated Press he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply: “Because I’m truly irritated.”

Founded in 1979, the Gilroy Garlic Festival bills itself as “the world’s greatest summer season meals pageant.” The three-day event, held at Christmas Hill Park in the town southeast of San Jose, is hosted by community volunteers and raises cash for local faculties, charities and nonprofit organizations.

The competition attracts tens of thousands of humans each 12 months to the city of fifty eight,000.

“It’s only a terrible component to revel in and we couldn’t sense worse,” said Brian Bowe, the competition’s executive director.

At a information convention Sunday night time, Chief Smithee noted that thousands of citizens volunteer their time every year for the competition, which raises cash for several neighborhood charities.

Police set up a witness and circle of relatives reunification line at (408) 846-0583.

Times group of workers writers Gale Holland, Rong-Gong Lin II and Colleen Shalby contributed to this report.