SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — It’s been exactly one week since a shooter killed nine of his coworkers at the VTA rail yard in San Jose. He then killed himself.
On Tuesday, police revealed the bodycam footage of their response that Wednesday morning.
In the days that followed, the San Jose Police Department, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, and national agencies like the FBI were dividing the investigative work – some on the scene at the rail yard on Younger Ave and others at shooter Sam Cassidy’s home, just a few miles away.
Cassidy had somehow set his home at Angmar Ct on fire around the same time he began the shooting at his workplace. Authorities later found explosive devices in his home.
Only authorized personnel are allowing into the VTA headquarters on June 2, with yellow tape still spanning the area. The sheriff’s office is right next door to the area.
“We were very proactive after the Columbine [shooting] and changing tactics,” said Sheriff Laurie Smith. “Law enforcement does not stage outside until a SWAT team gets there. We immediately go in… in this case we had five [deputies] in the first contact team.”
I believe we saved lives.
Sheriff Laurie smith
Cassidy had two semi-automatic handguns on him and at least 11 magazines. At least 100 employees were at the site of the shooting that day.
These are the nine victims, all VTA employees. Click their names to learn more about their lives and what loved ones had to say:
- Paul DelaCruz Megia, age 42
- Taptejdeep Singh, age 36
- Adrian Balleza, age 29
- Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, age 35
- Timothy Michael Romo, age 49
- Michael Joseph Rudometkin, age 40
- Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, age 63
- Lars Kepler Lane, age 63
- Alex Ward Fritch, age 42
As the VTA Family mourns for the victims, the transit agency has indefinitely suspended its Light Rail and bus bridge services.