California stunned by garlic festival shooting

Three people were killed and 15 were wounded at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump condemned the violence.

First Look

A shooter cut through a fence and opened fire on a crowd eating and listening to music at a popular food festival in California, killing three people, including a 6-year-old boy, and wounding about 15 others before police killed him, authorities said.

A law enforcement official said the gunman was identified as Santino William Legan and believed he was 19. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday.

Police searched the Legan family's two-story Gilroy home and a dusty car parked outside before leaving the house Monday with paper bags and what appeared to be other evidence.

The shooter appeared to randomly target people when fired with a rifle Sunday afternoon, the end of the three-day Gilroy Garlic Festival that attracts more than 100,000 people to the city known as the "Garlic Capital of the World," Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said.

The shooter sneaked in through a fence that borders a parking lot next to a creek. Police responded within a minute and killed the suspect, Mr. Smithee said.

Some witnesses reported a second suspect, Mr. Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person was armed or just helped in some way. A manhunt continued Monday.

Six-year-old Stephen Romero was among those killed, his father said. The boy's grandmother, Maribel Romero, told ABC7 News he was "always kind, happy and, you know, playful."

The wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some in surgery Sunday night. At least five were treated and released.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival features food, cooking contests and music. It's a decades-old staple in the agricultural city of 50,000 about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco. Security is tight – festival-goers pass through metal detectors and their bags are searched.

On Sunday, the band TinMan was starting an encore with the song "We're an American Band" when the shooting started.

Singer Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and grayish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle. Van Breen and other members of the band dove under the stage.

Mr. Van Breen, from nearby Santa Clara, said he heard someone shout: "Why are you doing this?" and the reply: "Because I'm really angry."

Their audience began screaming and running, and the five members of TinMan and others dove under the stage.

Mr. Van Breen's bandmate, Vlad Malinovsky of Walnut Creek, California, said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped. Later, law enforcement came by and told the band members and others hiding with them to come out with their hands up.

Taylor Jackson was working at a booth drawing caricatures of festival-goers when she heard gunfire, saw people running and "ran for the hills." She said her boss ran in the opposite direction. Several hours later, Ms. Jackson was at a reunification center trying to get information on her whereabouts.

Donna Carlson of Reno, Nevada, was helping a friend at a jewelry booth when "all of a sudden it was pop, pop, pop. And I said, 'I sure hope that's fireworks.'" She got on her hands and knees and hid behind a table until police told her it was safe to leave.

In a tweet, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the bloodshed "nothing short of horrific" and expressed appreciation for the police response. President Donald Trump tweeted before authorities confirmed the gunman was dead and urged people to "be careful and safe!"

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Associated Press reporter Mike Balsamo contributed to this story from Washington.