An employee who gunned down nine people at a California rail yard and then killed himself as law enforcement rushed in had talked about killing people at work.
I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now, a tearful Cecilia Nelms, main, said. Her ex husband Samuel Cassidy, inset, killed nine of his co-workers and himself on Wednesday.
Neighbor Calls VTA Shooter Sam Cassidy Strange as Footage Shows Him Leaving Before Shooting
On 5/27/21 at 10:28 AM EDT
Speaking with the
Mercury News, Doug Suh, who lives across the street, said that Cassidy was lonely and strange. Suh also told other local news stations that Cassidy was very quiet. I d say hello, and he d just look at me without saying anything, Suh said, adding that Cassidy once became angry at him for backing up his car near Cassidy s driveway.
On Wednesday, law enforcement officials identified Cassidy as the suspected shooter, according to the Associated Press.
Suh also captured footage of Cassidy leaving his home before the shooting incident at around 5:30 a.m. local time, according to KRON-TV. In a video clip, Cassidy appears to be holding a large duffle bag before getting into his vehicle.
Authorities initially said eight victims had died but later said a ninth had succumbed to his injuries.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff s Office received multiple 911 calls about shots fired at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority around 6:34 a.m. local time. Employees of the facility were evacuated from the building, which operates as a transit control center.
The victims were shot in two separate buildings and officials were working to quickly identify them and notify their families, Sheriff Laurie Smith said in a news conference Wednesday. Smith and officials praised first responders who rushed to the shooting scene.
Deputies did not exchange gunfire with the suspect and investigators believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Deputy Russell Davis, a sheriff s department spokesperson.