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Gilroy, California, garlic festival shooting: what we know

Violence In America

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Four people were killed (including the shooter) and at least 12 more injured during a shooting that took place at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival in Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, California, on Sunday.

One suspect was shot and killed by police at the scene. In a statement, city officials in Gilmore — which is located about 33 miles south of San Jose — said in a statement that “[w]itnesses indicated there may have been a second suspect and a search is underway for that person,” though it’s unclear if the second possible suspect actually fired shots or assisted the gunman in some other way.

The gunman used an assault-style rifle and started firing around 5:41 p.m. local time. One witness who spoke to a local NBC station said the shooter was wearing Army fatigues and “rose his gun up, and, just, started spraying out rounds.” Another witness told the Washington Post the man was shooting “left to right and right to left.”

Police on the scene engaged the shooter within one minute, according to Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee, and shot the suspect dead.

Security at the event was tight and included bag searches and metal detector wands. Smithee said investigators believe the shooter entered the festival by cutting through a perimeter fence.

Festival-goers fled in panic and shots rang out. Videos of the chaotic scene were posted to Twitter.

One of the deceased victims was a 6-year-old boy named Steven Romero.

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