Authorities were responding to a shooting Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California. Ambulance crews were called for reports of at least 11 injuries, and there was no immediate indication that a suspect was in custody.
Santa Clara County Medical Center told NBC News that it was treating two patients and expecting at least three more, some of them arriving by helicopter.
The San Francisco Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to the scene in Gilroy, about 30 miles southeast of San Jose, which is home to is one of the largest food festivals in the United States. The festival was near the end of its third and final day when the gunshots were reported at about 5:30 p.m., NBC Bay Area reported.
A witness, Julissa Contreras, told NBC Bay Area that she saw a white man in his early to mid-30s firing a rifle that was “able to shoot three to four shots a second.”
“It was just rapid firing,” she said. “I could see him shooting in just every direction. He wasn’t aiming at anyone specifically. It was just left to right, right to left. …
“He definitely was prepared for what he was doing,” she said.
Maximo Rocha, a volunteer with the Gilroy Browns, a Pop Warner youth football team said he saw many people on the ground, although he couldn’t be sure how many may have been shot and how many may have been trying to protect themselves.
But he told NBC Bay Area that “quite a few” of them were injured in some fashion, “because I helped a few.”
Gloria Parker, another witness, told the station that she and other people began running when they heard 10 to 15 bangs that they initially thought were firecrackers.
“There was tons of cops there,” she said.
No further information was immediately available.
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.
Colin Sheeley contributed.