Three people were killed and 12 were injured in a shooting at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, the Daily Beast reports. Gunshots were reported around 5:30 p.m., and videos posted to social media show festivalgoers running as shots can be heard in the background. Gilroy is around 30 miles southeast of San Jose; roughly 100,000 people attend the annual fest.
Among the dead is 6-year-old Stephen Romero. “There’s no words to describe, because he was such a happy kid,” grandmother Maribel Romero said. “I want justice for my grandson.”
One witness said the man stated he was taking action because he was "really angry." He reportedly used an assault-type rifle.
Gilroy police chief Scot Smithee said the attacker, 19-year-old Santino William Legan, was killed by officers within a minute of responding; there may be a second suspect still at large. “It appears as though they had come into the festival via a creek that borders a parking area and used a tool to cut through a fence to gain access,” Smithee said.
Police have confirmed that William Legan legally purchased a "AK-47 type assault rifle," which he used during the shooting, July 9 in Nevada. As of right now, the shooter had no clear motive.
Smithee also stated, “We believe based on witness statements that there was a second individual involved in some way, we just don’t know in what way."
Another witness, Julissa Contreras, told NBC Bay Area, “He wasn’t aiming at anyone specifically. ... He definitely was prepared for what he was doing.”
