Boy, 6, among three people shot dead at California food festival
Update: US media are reporting a six-year-old boy is among three people shot dead at a food event in northern California.
The Mercury News reported that Alberto Romero received a call from his wife, saying their son had been shot.
“My son had his whole life to live and he was only six,” the father of Stephen Romero told NBC Bay Area.“That’s all I can say.”
Police officers killed a gunman within a minute of him opening fire at the festival in Gilroy, which is known as the "garlic capital of the world".
Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured after the shooting that sent panicked people running at the annual food festival in Gilroy.
The wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some in surgery last night. At least five were treated and released.
The shooter used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid the tight security, including metal detectors, police said.Some witnesses reported a second suspect, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person opened fire.
Police are still investigating reports of a second gunman.The band Tin Man was just starting an encore when shots rang out.
Singer Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and greyish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle.
Mr Van Breen and other members of the band dove under the stage.
He said he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply: “Because I’m really angry.”
His bandmate Vlad Malinovsky, from Walnut Creek, California, said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped.Stanford Medical Centre has two patients being treated from the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, spokeswoman Julie Greicius said.She had no details on their injuries or conditions.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre received five victims, spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
She also had no information on their conditions.
Evenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the Mercury News that she spent the day at the festival with her friends and relatives.
“We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandanna wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying,” she said.“There was a little kid hurt on the ground.
“People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.”
She said that she did not run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks.“It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies – everyone was crying, people were screaming,” she said.
Update: Witnesses reported hearing automatic gunfire just before the close of a food festival in California last night where at least three people were killed in a shooting.
Twelve others have been injured at the annual garlic event in the city of Gilroy - around 80 miles south-east of San Francisco.
One man heard about the suspected shooter as he managed to get to safety.
He said: "There was a mother and two daughters and they said he was in fatigues with a machine gun shooting everybody."One woman was in a tent when the shooting started.
She said: "We heard a shot and when we just stepped out we thought we heard fireworks, turned to look and the guy wasn't looking at us but he had his rifle down and he was sticking something in it and he just turned around just shooting and walking towards our tent. And then we ran."
Earlier: Suspect among four killed in shooting at California festival
A suspect has been killed after opening fire at a food festival in California, police said.
Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured after the shooting that sent panicked people running at the annual food festival in Gilroy.
The shooter used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid the tight security, including metal detectors, police said.
Some witnesses reported a second suspect, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person opened fire.
Mr Smithee said the suspects had used a tool to cut through a fence to get into the annual garlic festival in Gilroy, California.
He said one of the suspects opened fire and police and officers in the area confronted the suspect in less than a minute.
Mr Smithee said that suspect was shot and killed.
Witnesses reported confusion and panic as shots rang out at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in the city of 50,000 located about 80 miles south-east of San Francisco.
The shooting occurred during the three-day celebration featuring food, cooking competitions and music that attracts more than 100,000 people.
Sunday was the final day of this year’s event.
The band Tin Man was just starting an encore when shots rang out.
Singer Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and greyish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle.
Mr Van Breen and other members of the band dove under the stage.
He said he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply: “Because I’m really angry.”
His bandmate Vlad Malinovsky, from Walnut Creek, California, said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped.
Later, law enforcement came by and told the band members and others hiding with them to come out with their hands up.
Stanford Medical Centre has two patients being treated from the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, spokeswoman Julie Greicius said.
She had no details on their injuries or conditions.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre received five victims, spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
She also had no information on their conditions.
Evenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the Mercury News that she spent the day at the festival with her friends and relatives.
“We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandanna wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying,” she said.
“There was a little kid hurt on the ground.
“People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.”
She said that she did not run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks.
“It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies – everyone was crying, people were screaming,” she said.
Todd Jones, a sound engineer, told the newspaper that he was at the front of the festival’s Vineyard stage when he heard what sounded like a firework.
“But then it started to increase, more rapidly, which sounded more like gunfire, and at that point people realised what was happening,” Mr Jones said.
Natalie Martinez, a Gilroy Resident, told the Mercury News that she had gone to get food and separated from her two daughters.
“I ran to find the girls and we basically ran into each other.
“I thought, We’re open prey. It was awful,” she said.
Video first posted on social media sites about 5.30pm local time showed people running for safety at the festival.
Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene of the shooting.
The Gilroy Police Department on its Twitter account issued a statement saying: “The hearts of Gilroy PD and entire community go out to the victims of today’s shooting at the Garlic Festival. The scene is still active. If you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification centre at Gavilan College at parking lot B.”
President Donald Trump tweeted about the shooting, asking people to “be careful and safe!”
- Press Association
Source: www.irishexaminer.com