NBC Bay Area
An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California rail yard, killing eight people before taking his own life as law enforcement rushed in, authorities said, marking the latest attack in a year that has seen a sharp increase in mass killings as the nation emerges from coronavirus restrictions.
The shooting took place around 6:30 a.m. in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in the San Francisco Bay Area. The facility in San Jose includes a transit-control center, parking for trains and a maintenance yard.
Investigators offered no immediate word on a motive but the gunman's ex-wife said he used to come home from work resentful over what he perceived as unfair assignments.
The gunman who also took his own life occasionally discussed shooting his co-workers because he was dissatisfied at work, according to his ex-wife.
Two people hug on Younger Avenue outside the scene of a shooting in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, May, 26. 2021. An employee opened fire Wednesday at a California railyard serving Silicon Valley, killing multiple people before ending his own life, authorities said. The suspect was an employee of the Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in the Bay Area, authorities said. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group via AP)
May 27, 2021 - 1:59 PM
JESUS HERNANDEZ III:
Jesus Hernandez, 35, could fix anything, loved his hobbies and lived life with zest, according to his family.
The Dublin, California, resident was a substation maintainer who had been partnered with Samuel Cassidy, the man who authorities say gunned down Hernandez and eight others, said his father, Jesus Hernandez II, a retired Valley Transportation Authority employee. He said he was not aware of issues Cassidy may have had with his son or others.
âHe was somebody who was so fair. A very, very fair person and always leaning to the right side of things, always looking for the right thing to do,â said Hernandez, crying at times in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press. âHe was a really good guy, a great kid, and now heâs gone.â