'I'm not going to shoot you': Gunman appeared to target victims at San Jose rail yard, spared others

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A Northern California rail yard worker who gunned down nine other employees before taking his own life appeared to target his victims and fired more than 39 shots, the Santa Clara County sheriff said Thursday.

The gunman, whose ex-wife says struggled with anger, told at least one person "I’m not going to shoot you," Sheriff Laurie Smith said. "And then he shot other people. So I imagine there was some kind of thought on who he wanted to shoot."

Smith said the shooter arrived at the light rail facility for the Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose about 6 a.m. Wednesday with a duffel bag containing semi-automatic handguns and high-capacity magazines.

The 57-year-old gunman, identified as Samuel J. Cassidy, opened fire at about 6:30 a.m. in two buildings at the sprawling light rail hub, Smith said. VTA provides bus, light rail and other transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in the Bay Area. 

"When our deputies went through the door, initially he was still firing rounds," Smith said. "When our deputy saw him, he took his life."

U.S. customs officers detained the gunman in 2016 and found he professed a hatred of his workplace, according to a Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

Read More:  USAtoday.com

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