SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – The family of the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooter, 19-year-old Santino William Legan, released a statement via their lawyer on Tuesday in response to the mass shooting that claimed the lives of three people:
“Our family is deeply shocked and horrified by the actions of our son. To the families of Stephen Romero, Keyla Salazar, Trevor Irby, and to the injured that survived this tragedy, we cannot begin to describe our despair at his actions. We want to express our deepest and sincerest apologies for the loss and pain that he has caused.
We have never and would never condone the hateful thoughts and ideologies that led to this event, and it is impossible to reconcile this with the son we thought we knew. Our son is gone, and we will forever have unanswered questions as to how or why any of this has happened.
We are heartbroken that he committed this violence in his hometown, at a family event meant to celebrate the tight knit community we have been a part of for twenty years.
Every single member of our family has cooperated with the investigation and will continue to cooperate.
We also want to thank all of our friends in the community, and people we have never met, who have sent us messages of support and compassion for what has occurred. Thanks to all of you.
To the City of Gilroy and to everyone affected, we are tremendously sorry. No words can begin to express this.”
Legan Family
A short time before the statement was released, authorities had held a press conference announcing the latest details on the investigation, including that the FBI is opening a domestic terrorism investigation into the attack.
While the motive of Legan remains unclear, FBI officials said Legan was exploring “violent ideologies” and that he had a list of “potential targets of violence” nationwide, including organizations such as religious institutions, federal buildings, courthouses, and political organizations of both parties.
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