San Jose VTA Mass Shooting.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/ ... -shooting/

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/26/ ... rail-yard/

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/26/ ... -shooting/

In short: Mass shooting by a VTA maintenance worker at VTA's Light Rail yard. 9 dead, including shooter. 1 in critical condition. 100 others uninjured and evacuated. VTA Light Rail service suspended at 12 Noon Pacific and is bus bridging, per VTA's Twitter feed. Rail yard is being treated as an active investigation scene and some reports above say that explosives were found.

My take: Yikes.

Watching the live feed from CBS KPIX here, and let me crunch it down:

• 8 dead by suspect's hand, 1 injured
• Suspect is dead -- VTA employee (maybe ex-employee)
• Suspect owns a house 1 hr away that was on fire, explosives and ammo found at house.
• VTA Light Rail facility is now an active crime scene. Explosives found at facility.
• No other facility exists to allow service to resume quickly.
• Bus bridging for the next few days until facility is back open for VTA workers.

A few days later, NBC affiliate KCRA was able to piece together a possible motive and a possible explanation:

https://www.kcra.com/article/memo-revea ... e/36563102

Samuel Cassidy spoke of hating his workplace while detained by U.S. Customs Officers after a trip to the Philippines nine years ago.

Cassidy's feelings were detailed in a memo book that had notes on how he hated the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

The memo also said the shooter, who also took his own life, had books on terrorism, but when he was asked whether he had issues with people he worked with, he said no.

The statements were detailed in a Department of Homeland Security memo, and a Biden administration official confirmed this information to the Associated Press.

...

In a sworn declaration, she states that Cassidy exhibited major mood swings as a result of bipolar disorder, which was exacerbated when he consumed large quantities of alcohol, that he attempted to force intercourse with her, and when she refused, Cassidy became enranged.

...

"He had a double personality," Cassidy's ex-girlfriend said during an interview over the phone. "He could be a gentleman -- very nice, very kind. Or he could be a jerk -- yelling, screaming."

I'd prefer we not glorify or try to explain/justify the motives of a murderer...

eolesen wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 7:02 am I'd prefer we not glorify or try to explain/justify the motives of a murderer...

That's up to investigators. I've had to hang back due to other reasons.

VTA Light Rail service is back running. Full Orange Line service, Mountain View to Alum Rock, plus partial Green Line from Old Ironsides to Civic Center (past the VTA Light Rail shop and full 1-2 track interlock).

Lets hope they continue to recover. I bet the next extension will go down to Paseo de San Antonio and be in walking distance to Convention Center.