According to the mayor, the gunman who killed eight coworkers at a California transport facility knew the victims well.

According to Deputy Russell Davis of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, a shooter opened fire at a public transport rail yard in San Jose, California, on Wednesday morning, killing at least eight coworkers and wounded others.

According to Davis, the gunman was a Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) employee. Sam Cassidy has been identified, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the inquiry.

The gunman was no stranger to the persons he shot, according to Mayor Sam Liccardo.

"It's apparent that the victims and all of the coworkers were familiar with the gunman," Liccardo said.

Sheriff Laurie Smith of Santa Clara County stated the victims worked together and were present this morning.

According to Davis, law enforcement officers did not engage the gunman in gunfire, and detectives suspect he committed suicide.

"I know for a fact that when the suspect realised law enforcement was around, he committed himself, and our deputies were right there at the moment," the sheriff added. She noted that the deputies arrived soon because the sheriff's office is only next door.

As the shooting continued, Smith said deputies and San Jose police officers raced into a building, "and I know that it saved many lives."

According to Davis, at least one of the injured is in critical condition.

According to him, investigators are looking into the gunman's motivations.

According to Davis, police also got information regarding explosive devices within the transportation building, which the bomb squad is looking into.

In addition, a house in San Jose that caught fire at the same time as the shooting is thought to be the gunman's residence, according to a source close to the investigation.

Several 911 reports reported shots fired near a VTA control centre, a hub that stores light rail trains, and a maintenance yard shortly after 6:30 a.m. PT, according to Davis. Employees of the VTA were among the victims.

According to Davis, multiple law enforcement agencies and fire departments used their "active shooter procedures" to respond to the situation.

The incident happened in the VTA rail yard, not the operations control centre, at the start of the day's light rail service, according to VTA Board Chairperson Glenn Hendricks. The VTA vehicles are serviced and sent from the yard.

"A terrible tragedy occurred today, and our hearts and prayers go out to the VTA family, the organisation, and everything they've been through," Hendricks said.

The VTA announced that light rail service would be discontinued for the day at noon due to the crime scene investigation limiting its capacity to provide service. The VTA is a public transportation agency that employs roughly 2,000 people and runs bus and light rail services throughout the Santa Clara Valley.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the 232nd event in which at least four individuals have been shot in the United States this year.

The Bay Area is no new to violent outbursts; in July 2019, a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, roughly 30 miles south of San Jose, killing three people and injuring over a dozen others.

In an interview with CNN station KGO, Mayor Liccardo stated that a fire had been reported at the gunman's residence, though he did not name the location.

"That is certainly the information I have — there was a fire at the shooter's house, and thank God, no one was found inside," Liccardo said.

According to tweets from the San Jose Fire Department, firefighters responded to a fire at a property in the 1100 block of Angmar Court in San Jose around 6:36 a.m. local time. It was only a few minutes after police were dispatched to the VTA facility, about 8 miles away, for a gunshot.

A neighbor's video captured a home with smoke pouring out of it as firemen battled the wildfire. Duk Kyun Suh, a neighbour, began capturing the video early in the fire. Firefighters seemed to be on their way to the scene.

The two-alarm fire took firemen roughly an hour to put out, causing extensive damage and rendering the structure uninhabitable, according to the fire department.

When asked about the house fire during a press conference, Smith stated the San Jose Police Department was looking into it.

According to Erica Ray, a spokesperson for the San Jose Incident Department, the cause of the fire is still being investigated, but no residents or firefighters were injured.

Employees and their families voiced worry and concern in interviews with CNN shortly after the shooting.

Michael Hawkins Sr. gathered at a reunification site in the hopes of finding his wife, Rochelle Hawkins, a VTA technician. He stated she texted him from a coworker's phone, stating she was ok but had dropped her phone while fleeing to safety.

"I'm simply here for my wife and praying she's OK, as well as anybody else is in there," he explained.

Billy Cantillas, a 22-year employee at the VTA plant, claimed he had barely begun his shift when a coworker informed him that there was a shooter on the premises, so he exited the building. He said he couldn't hear or see anything, but he was afraid.

"You know how afraid I am? I'm thinking about the victims of the shooting. It's a disaster, "he stated

After visiting with VTA employees' families, Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed his displeasure with the country's continuous gun violence and urged on government to act.

"We are in the United States of America, and we are witnessing something that has never been seen anywhere else on the planet. This has a similarity to it. And I believe that numbness is something we're all experiencing "According to Newsom. "However, it begs the question: What the hell is going on in America? What the hell is the matter with us?"

President Joe Biden has urged Congress to take action on gun legislation. He expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

In a written statement, he said, "At least eight families will never be complete again."

"Children, parents, and spouses are all waiting to learn if someone they care about will ever return home. There are union brothers and sisters who are grieving for their own — nice, honest, industrious people "Biden stated the following.

The incident was attended by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Five bomb-sniffing dogs have been sent in by the ATF to assist in the hunt for any suspected explosives.

According to Joshua Jackson, an associate special agent in charge of the ATF's San Francisco Field Division, the agency is also contributing investigative resources to track firearms and ballistics evidence in an attempt to link it to other firearm crimes that may be connected.

The shooting, according to Mayor Liccardo, who also serves on the VTA board, was a "really terrible moment" for the city.

"This is a horrible day for our VTA family and a dreadful day for our city," he said. "We understand how terribly many people are grieving the death of their loved ones and friends."

The president of the Amalgamated Transit Organization International, which represents transit workers, said the mass shooting has left the union "shocked and very devastated."

President John A. Costa said, "Our hearts and prayers are with our sisters, brothers, and their families at Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265." "We are striving to provide support and help to the relatives of the victims, as well as everyone else who has been affected by this awful tragedy."

Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, expressed his "heartbreak" for the victims' families and coworkers.

"This past year, transit personnel have kept the travelling public safe; we must do the same for them," he said.