Reuters / Chris Smead
Police have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at Gilroy Garlic Festival as 19-year-old Santino William Legan. Four people including the suspect were left dead and 15 others were wounded after at least one gunman opened fire Sunday evening at the event in Northern California. One of the victims has been identified as 6-year-old boy Stephen Luciano Romero of San Jose. Police said a 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s were also killed, but did not release their names.
Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee told reporters at a press conference Monday that his officers engaged the suspect one minute after the initial reports of the shooting reached them. Smithee said the suspect used “an AK-47-type assault rifle” that was legally purchased in Nevada, and appeared to have cut through a wire fence to gain access to the festival. “We don’t have a motive for the shooting as yet. We did have reports of a potential second suspect, but we don’t have any confirmation that any second suspect did any shooting. But we certainly are investigating all leads to try and determine who that potential second suspect is and what exactly that person’s role was,” Smithee said. “... It seems that this was a random act, but again we have a long way to go.”