An employee who worked for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority opened fire killing eight people and injuring others, most employees of the V.T.A. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. That worker, Samuel Cassidy, had been employed there for at least 10 years. The shooting caused chaos as buildings were evacuated and the light rail service suspended. The area was swept for explosives. Nearby, at the shooter’s home, a fire erupted at the time of the incident. Police responded to the shooting and upon their arrival, the shooter allegedly turned his gun on himself.
The shootings took place in the rail yard where maintenance, storage and dispatch is conducted for rail transport that services Silicon Valley. “It begs the damn question, what the hell is going on in the United States of America? What the hell is wrong with us?” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press conference shortly after the event.
The entire area around the facility was being searched for explosive devices that may have been left in or around the buildings.