Reports state that the gunman was no stranger to the people he shot.

By Ashima Sethi

On Wednesday morning, a gunman opened fire at a a public transit rail yard in San Jose, California in the United States. The assault immediately killed eight people, whereas another victim, 49-year old Alex Ward Fitch, sccumbed to his injuries after being hospitalised in critical condition.

CNN reported that the victims were between the ages of 29 and 63, and were identified by a medical examiner as Paul Delacruz Megia, 42; Adrian Balleza, 29; Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 35; Timothy Michael Romo, 49; Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40; Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63; and Lars Kepler Lane, 63; and Sikh father of two, Taptejdeep Singh, 36. The gunman is believed to have taken his own life after the shooting.

The perpetrator by law enforcement was identified as Sam Cassidy an employee of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). According to the Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo, the gunman was familiar to the people he murdered, stating “It’s clear the victims and all the colleagues knew the shooter well.” Those who knew the gunman well, including his ex-wife of 10 years, said that he struggled with his anger, often speaking out angrily about his coworkers and job.

The tragedy marks the 232nd shooting in which at least four people were killed in the U.S. this year. As reported by CNN, Governor Gavin Newsom had this to say about the mass shooting: “Here we are in the United States of America experiencing something just not experienced anywhere else in the world. There’s a sameness to this. And that numbness, I think is something we’re all feeling. But it begs the damn question: What the hell is going on in the United States of America? What the hell’s wrong with us?“

Featured image credited to Philip Pacheco/Getty Images