Rail worker who witnessed mass shooting kills himself 16 months later
Union lawyers have called for the SCVTA to provide more mental health resources to its workers
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Your support makes all the difference.A worker in San Jose, California who survived a mass shooting has died by suicide, according to police reports.
Henry Gonzales, who does paint and body work for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, was found dead by police in San Jose on Monday. KTVU reported that police are investigating the death as a suicide.
Last May, Samuel Cassidy, 57, a worker at the SCVTA killed nine of his co-workers in a mass shooting incident. He then shot himself in the head.
“With a heavy heart, we confirm the passing of veteran VTA employee Henry Gonzales,” VTA officials said in a statement. “This is a very difficult time for VTA employees and their families, and we request privacy as we grieve the loss of Henry while continuing to grapple with the loss of nine other co-workers who were tragically killed in May.”
Mr Gonzales was a married father of four, and had worked at the SCVTA for a decade. He was in one of the buildings at the rail yard on the day that Cassidy carried out his shooting.
The Santa Clara County medical examiner will make an official ruling on Mr Gonzales' death. Police do not suspect foul play.
Union officials at the rail yard said he was an executive board member, and that his death was indicative of a need to examine mental health treatment options offered by the company.
“Unfortunately, the VTA has taken no action to address the grief, the mental health and the safety of their employees who have been under unfathomable, extreme stress after this tragic shooting,” Amalgamated Transit Union International president John Costa said in a statement. “The VTA’s inaction is shameful and threatens the well-being of our Local 265 members.”
Mr Costa said that VTA officials should provide employees with "immediate access [to] the full spectrum" of mental health care options, including inpatient care.
The VTA rejected the claim that it has not done enough, claiming it has done worker outreach and provided "multiple counseling and trauma resources."
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