Eight killed in San Jose shooting

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the suspect, who was employed by Santa Clara's Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), took his own life before law enforcement officials were able to react to the scene.

The now-deceased suspect in the San Jose shooting has been identified as Samuel James Cassidy, a 57-year-old California resident who worked for the VTA. 

Authorities have linked the deceased suspect to two fires that occurred around the same time as the shooting. One of the fires occurred at his home, which is approximately 8 miles from the crime scene. 

The mass shooting, first reported at 6:34 a.m. local time, occurred at 101 W. Younger Avenue - not far from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and San Jose Police Department. 

The suspected gunman, as well as eight others, are dead. Several individuals were injured. 

A California woman who divorced the now-deceased suspect in 2004 told the San Francisco Chronicle that Cassidy historically complained about other individuals receiving easier assignments at work, including those at the site of the mass shooting.

Court records obtained by the SF Chronicle also alleged that the 57-year-old man would abuse, and also rape her while experiencing "mood swings" during their time together. 
US President Joe Biden has called on members of Congress to "take immediate action" to combat the rise in gun violence and mass shootings in the US. He also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the victims. 

Agents with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are assisting with the investigation, and have declared there is a "sizable crime scene" to process.  Investigators found hundreds of round of ammunition in the suspect's home, after the premises was swept by an FBI bomb squad. 

The shooter's motive has not been identified by law enforcement. The crime is the deadliest mass shooting to occur in California's Bay Area since 1993, when a 55-year-old gunman killed nine people - including himself - after opening fire in an office building in San Francisco, California. 

This year alone, the San Jose shooting is the 232nd mass shooting to occur in the US, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

MAH/Sputnik