Samuel Cassidy: Suspect identified in San Jose mass shooting that left 9 dead including gunman

Police have identified railway technician Samuel James Cassidy, 57, as the suspect in a mass shooting that left 9 people dead, including the gunman, at a light rail facility on Wednesday morning in the city of San Jose, California,.

Multiple local media outlets, including KTVU, the San Jose Mercury News, and a local NBC affiliate have reported the identify of the suspect, citing law enforcement sources.

Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy Cian Jackson told The Independent they would not be releasing a name until the coroner’s office had informed the next of kin.

Mr Cassidy was a technician at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in San Jose, where police were called early Wednesday morning to reports of a mass shooting at a rail maintenance yard. The man reportedly took his own life, according to some law enforcement sources.

Santa Clara County sheriff’s department deputy Russell Davis said on Wednesday that while the investigation was ongoing, authorities would “go with the assumption that it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound from the suspect, and deputies did not exchange gunfire.”

At a news conference on Wednesday, authorities said they were still working to understand the motive behind the shooting.

Cassidy’s ex-girlfriend told NBC Bay Area on Wednesday that the man was “not mentally stable” during their relationship, which occurred 12 years ago.

The woman, who kept her name anonymous, said she hasn’t spoken with Cassidy in years, but described how he got angry and aggressive after she turned down a marriage proposal two months into their relationship, which began after meeting on dating site Match.com.

“I was scared,” she said. “He made a lot of trouble for me. I’ve moved forward.”

“He’s a murderer,” she added. “He killed innocent people. That’s terrible. I feel sad.”

Cassidy didn’t have a major criminal background, KTVU reports, though he did have a few traffic violations on site. One coworker reportedly said the man was “strange,” while others in the neighbourhood called him a “loner”.

An unconfirmed number of people were injured, and authorities mentioned at least one person in “critical condition” at a nearby hospital.

“A horrible tragedy has happened today,” VTA Board Chair Glenn Hendricks said on Wednesday. “Our thoughts and love goes out to the VTA family, to the organization, and what they’ve had to go through.”

The Santa Clara County sheriff’s department, San Jose police department, as well as federal agencies like Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are assisting with the investigation into the shooting.

Officials are investigating a second crime scene in relation to the shooting, a home where Mr Cassidy reportedly lived that caught fire at roughly the same time as the shooting. Authorities reportedly found gasoline and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside the home, where Mr Cassidy’s ex-wife confirmed to KTVU the couple had lived together before divorcing in 2009.

A fellow VTA employee reportedly called his mother and said the shooting occurred during a union meeting at the rail yard.

“This is a horrific day for our city, and it’s a tragic day for the VTA family,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said on Wednesday. “Our heart pains for the family and coworkers because we know so many are feeling deeply this loss of their loved ones and their friends. Now is the moment for us to collect ourselves and understand what happened, to mourn and help those who have suffered to heal.”

He also called for reforms, saying he is working “to ensure we never see a horrific tragedy like this again in San Jose.”