3 dead in shooting at garlic festival in California

by Chris Mills Rodrigo and Emily Birnbaum - 07/28/19 10:30 PM ET

Three people were killed in a shooting Sunday at a popular garlic festival in Gilroy, Calif., authorities said.

As many as 15 others were injured, according to news reports.

A 6-year-old boy was identified by his father as one of the three fatal victims.

{mosads}“My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6,” the father of Stephen Romero told NBC Bay Area. “That’s all I can say.”

A 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s were also killed, officials told The Associated Press.

Police Chief Scott Smithee said gun shots were first heard at 5:41 p.m. and officers engaged the alleged shooter, who was killed less than a minute later.

“We have no idea of a motive,” Smithee added.

The alleged gunman has been identified as 19-year-old Santino William Legan of Gilroy, according to CBS News.

Smithee told reporters Monday that Legan appeared to be randomly targeting people when he opened fire on the crowd with a rifle that had been legally purchased in Nevada earlier this month.

Police are looking for a possible second suspect, who Smithee said may have been “involved in some way, we just don’t know in what way.”

California Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate, called the shooting “horrific.”

“Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate,” she said in a tweet.

Simply horrific. I’m grateful to the first responders who are on the scene in Gilroy, and my thoughts are with that community tonight. Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate. https://t.co/WqWNxGAQnA

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 29, 2019

The festival in Gilroy, known as the garlic capital of the U.S., is a three-day event that attracts thousands of people. Sunday was the final day of this year’s festivities.

An Instagram account under the Legan’s name contained a post praising a white supremacist manifesto, according to archived screenshots. The Daily Beast was the first to report on the post, which included a caption that read in part: “Read Might Is Right by Ragnar Redbeard.”

Redbeard’s “Might Is Right,” popular literature among neo-Nazis and white supremacists, promotes violence and strength as a moral strategy.

Another Instagram post on the account read: “Ayyy, garlic festival time.”

Instagram confirmed it is working with law enforcement and that it has removed the Instagram account with the same name as the shooter identified by authorities.

A string of confirmed and suspected gunmen this year have left behind social media presences littered with white supremacist and neo-Nazi rhetoric, often promoted on fringe websites including 4chan and 8chan.

The Gilroy Police Department said in a tweet Monday that the community’s hearts go out to the victims.

The hearts of Gilroy PD and entire community go out to the victims of today’s shooting at the Garlic Festival. The scene is still active. If you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification center at Gavilan College at parking lot B. #GilroyActiveshooter

— Gilroy Police (@GilroyPD) July 29, 2019