GILROY (CelebrityAccess) – At least three people were killed and 15 other people injured in a shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, authorities said Sunday night. A 6-year-old boy, Steven Romero, was among the dead.
Police Chief Scot Smithee said the gunman and a companion accessed the festival through a creek and cut through a perimeter fence to avoid metal detectors. Gilroy police did not know what motivated the shooter or how the second suspect may have been involved.
Multiple witnesses described the gunman, who was shot dead by law enforcement within minutes of opening fire, as an average looking white male in his 20s or 30s wearing military-style clothing and using a semi-automatic rifle. Police said Monday that they are still looking for the suspected accomplice.
According to a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Public Health System, eleven people were transported to two hospitals with gunshot wounds. Three had been treated and released late Sunday, and the rest were in fair to critical condition, she also said.
The event, which was held in Gilroy’s Christmas Hill Park, is one of the country’s biggest annual food festivals and is known to draw celebrity chefs from around the country in addition to featuring live musical performances. The band TinMan was reportedly on stage when the shooting broke out.
