Police said Sunday they're responding to reports of an active shooter at the Gilroy Garlic Festival near San Jose, California, where at least 3 people are reported to have been killed and several others wounded.
The latest: Dion Bracco, a councilman, told the New York Times and AP at least 3 people were killed and 12 others injured at the event in Christmas Hill Park — an area where weapons are prohibited, per the festival website. Gilroy Police urged people not to come to the park because it's an active crime scene. Bracco told
#BREAKING UPDATE: Ambulance crews were told 11 people down in a reported shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. https://t.co/ufzR4VllUL pic.twitter.com/giApm5t2bX
— Stephen Ellison (@sj_ellison) July 29, 2019
What we know: Police responded to reports of a shooting at the scene about 5:30 p.m. local time, the Mercury News reports. A Santa Clara County Medical Center spokeswoman told NBC News the hospital was treating 5 patients for gunshot wounds.
- Police have yet to comment on whether there's been any arrests, but Bracco, the councilman, told the NYT a suspect was in custody. "They don’t know if there were more, so they have to treat it as an active situation," he said.
- Gilroy Police tweeted that a reunification center had been set up at Gavilan College in the city.
BREAKING: ATF's San Francisco Field Division is responding to the scene of a reported shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California. pic.twitter.com/fyMR5ZP9r7
— ATF San Francisco (@ATFSanFrancisco) July 29, 2019
- Festival-goers told the Mercury News they initially thought the gunshots were fireworks. Julissa Contreras told NBC Bay Area she saw a man "rapid firing" with a gun.
Background: The Gilroy Garlic Festival started in 1979 and Sunday was the final day of event, according to the festival website.
What they're saying: California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted that the incident "is nothing short of horrific." "Tonight, CA stands with the Gilroy community," he said. "My office is monitoring the situation closely. Grateful for the law enforcement’s efforts and their continued work as this situation develops."
Law Enforcement is at the scene of shootings in Gilroy, California. Reports are that shooter has not yet been apprehended. Be careful and safe!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019
Simply horrific. I'm grateful to the first responders who are on the scene in Gilroy, and my thoughts are with that community tonight. Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate. https://t.co/WqWNxGAQnA
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 29, 2019
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
