Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith told The Associated Press news agency Thursday that the alleged perpetrator of the shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority building that killed nine on Wednesday People used two semiautomatic pistols and did not shoot randomly: "I'm not going to shoot you," he told one of the people who crossed his path during the massacre, which ended when he shot himself.
Police authorities in San José, California, reported that there are four Latinos among the victims: Paul Delacruz Megia, 42;
Adrian Balleza, 29;
Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 35;
and Timothy Michael Romo, 49.
In addition, Taptejdeep Singh, 36;
Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40;
Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63;
Lars Kepler Lade, 63;
and Alex Ward Fritch, 49.
Paul Delacruz Megia, victim of the shooting at a VTA building in San José, California, with his children.Noticias Telemundo
Delacruz Megia's wife, Nicole Yamada, said in a statement: "Paul was a wonderful husband and father who was full of love, jokes, energy for life and always ready for new adventures. I treasure all our memories. God took him. too soon and I would do anything to have one last hug and goodbye. I will miss having my best friend by my side. I love you, always. "
The shooting took place in two buildings, killing bus and light rail operators, mechanics, linemen, and a deputy superintendent.
The killer, identified as Samuel Cassidy, 57, was also an employee of the VTA since 2012, according to public records, first as a mechanic and then as a substation maintenance worker.
A worker with the same name and since he earned $ 114,426.17 in 2019.
Authorities respond to a shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) facility Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in San Jose, Calif. AP / Noah Berger
Your neighbors describe you as
a very quiet person
.
His ex-wife, Cecilia Nelms, said in an interview with NBC News: "He was very polite, quiet. He was kind to people, but very distant. He
never really wanted to connect with anyone
."
The woman told The Associated Press news agency that
her ex-husband had talked about killing people at work more than a decade ago.
"I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now," she
added through tears.
The woman recalls that Cassidy used to come home from work resentful and angry at what she considered to be unfair tasks.
She was married to him for about 10 years and they hadn't been in contact for about 13, Nelms told the aforementioned outlet.
Eight dead, explosives and a fire: Latino residents of San José react with amazement to the mass shooting
May 26, 202102: 31
An ex-girlfriend of Cassidy who asked to remain anonymous told NBC News that she believes he was
"not mentally stable."
She and Cassidy dated for six months in 2008 after meeting on an online dating app.
After six months, he asked her to marry, she refused, and he didn't take it well.
"He was very angry, yelling and yelling," she
said, "and then he started making trouble for me."
One day, not long after the breakup, she said that he stole her car, a 2008 Toyota Camry, of which she had the key.
She says she reported him to the police but nothing happened and a month later he returned the car, with the broken bumper and other damage.
The woman said she was surprised, though not too surprised, when she learned that he was responsible for the shooting.
According to The Associated Press, the woman defined him as volatile and violent, with strong mood swings that worsened when he drank excessively.
Multiple times while drunk, Cassidy forced her to have sex despite her refusal, the woman alleged in an affidavit filed in 2009 after Cassidy filed for a restraining order against her, according to documents obtained by the The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
Emergency personnel respond to a shooting at a railroad authority facility in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.AP / Noah Berger
With information from The Associated Press and NBC NEWS.
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