The Garlic festival shooting was captured on video as festival attendees fled while shots rang out in Gilroy, California.
Early reports indicate at least one shooter opened fire at about 5:40 p.m. on the last day of the festival at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy.
Three people died in the shooting. The shooter was also killed, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said during a press conference. At least 11 other people were injured.
The shooter entered the festival grounds from the creek and cut through the gate with tools. Police were on the north side of the festival where shots rang out and “engaged” the shooter in less than one minutes. The shooter died.
Police believe a second shooter was involved. It is unclear what that person’s involvement was. Police are still hunting for the second suspect.
The mass shooting was “a nightmare” that hit a close-knit community, he said.
“The city of Gilroy is an incredible community, and we have incredible people here, and I’m really proud to be the chief here and lead this force,” he said during the press conference.
Brian Bowe, director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, also spoke about the bond the community shares, saying Gilroy is a family.
“This festival is like our annual family reunion,” he said.
The festival raises funds for charities.
A Bay Area reporter tweeted at least 11 people were down.
“#BREAKING UPDATE: Ambulance crews were told 11 people down in a reported shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival,” Stephen Ellison wrote on Twitter.
A Gilroy shooter was reportedly a white male in camouflage or possibly a “uniform” according to scanner chatter. A garlic festival shooter may have had a long rifle with a “removable magazine,” scanner chatter indicated.
The police scanner indicated there were two shooters, both white males, and one may have died. Police were hunting for a second shooter. Information from a scanner is preliminary and is not always accurate.
Several people captured video of the reported shooting.
Here’s what you need to know:
Several People At the Gilroy Garlic Festival Shared Videos of the Shooting
One person shared a video of people running, which appeared to capture the sound of gunfire. A person on the video first asked if people were running from a fire. She questioned what was happening, and then heard a gunshot.
“Oh they’re shooting!” she said, and seemed to move backward.
She later shared another video, which seemed to be taken from outside the festival gates.
“This is crazy. This is actually crazy,” she said as people appeared to gather outside the gates.
“How do you shoot out the garlic festival? Like who you got a beef with at the garlic festival?” she said.
Another person took a video while apparently running from the gunfire. Multiple shots can be heard in the video.
A third person shared a video which appeared to be taken outside the gates. He said he heard gunshots and everyone ran.
Garlic festival shooting #festival #shooting #gilroy #garlicfest19
Another person also captured video of people running.
“People are running. They’re scared,” he said.
“I’m not leaving her!” a person shouted in the background.
Another person shared a photo of people running as multiple gunshots ring out in the background.
He later shared a photo of people running out and police racing into the festival grounds.
Some People Shared Photos from the Mass Shooting in Gilroy, California
San Francisco Info shared a photo and news story of a crowd at the garlic festival.
Shooting At Gilroy Garlic Festival Causes Chaos On Last Day – CBS San Francisco t.co/BfwKKqIlPZ
Breaking 911 shared a still of people running from gunfire. Two people joined hands as they fled.
BNO News shared the location of the festival on a map and linked to their live coverage.
WATCH LIVE: Local TV coverage of the mass shooting at Gilroy Garlic Festival in California t.co/s6n3FSnGjF
KTVU News shared a closeup map of the Gilroy Garlic Festival at Christmas Hill Park.
#GilroyGarlicFestival shooting:
-Video posted to social media shows dozens running for cover
-Law enforcement from various agencies have responded to the scene
-The Garlic Festival was in its third and final day at Christmas Hill Park
STORY: t.co/PzHPi1ixLj
Another person wrote on Twitter he and his dad left the festival shortly before the shooting.
My dad and I just left the Gilroy Garlic Festival, then we just learned that 11 people got gunned down there within minutes of leaving that place.
These are two of the pics I took at the festival, then a screen cap of some headlines about the shooting.
This story will be updated as reports are confirmed and as new information becomes available.