Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting leaves 3 dead, 15 injured; gunman killed by police

It took less than a minute for police officers to respond after gunfire erupted at a Northern California food festival Sunday night, with cops quickly engaging and fatally shooting the gunman -- but not before the assailant's brief barrage left three dead and 15 others injured.

The shooting rampage began at 5:41 p.m. on the north side of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Chief of Police Scot Smithee said at a press conference late Sunday. Cops were set to give another update at 1 p.m. ET Monday.

"We had many, many officers in the park at the time that this occurred as we do any day during a festival, which accounts for the very, very quick response time," Smithee told reporters following the shooting.

Smithee said the gunman gained access to the festival by cutting through a fence near a creek area. He said some witnesses reported a second suspect, but police could not immediately confirm those reports and it was unclear if that person also had a weapon or may have been providing some support to the shooter.

NBC Bay Area reported that a 6-year-old boy, Steven Romero, was among the victims.

"He had his whole life to live," Alberto Romero, the boy's father, said. "He was only six."

Ryan Wallace, a witness, told the channel that he watched the gunman—who was almost dressed like a police officer—raise his gun up and started to “spray rounds.” The gunman walked through the crowd, he said.

“He wanted to get stuff done,” he said. “It was horrifying.”

“It’s sort of a nightmare that you hope to never have to live in reality, but we find ourselves in the circumstances where we have to live it today,” Smithee said.