San Jose mass shooting: Video shows suspect Samuel Cassidy left home with suspicious duffel bag
A chilling video has emerged of 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, the gunman who allegedly shot and killed eight people at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail yard on Wednesday, May 26. It shows the 'calm' suspect prepping himself and as he headed out in his car to carry out the shooting.
The footage in question was taken by Cassidy's neighbor Doug Suh, who provided KPIX with the surveillance video. It showed Cassidy on the morning of May 26, shortly before the massacre. Duh's Nest camera caught him departing his Santa Clara residence before he drove 10 miles to the rail yard, where he opened fire at the employees inside. The suspect was seen in the surveillance footage clutching a black duffel bag, believed to be holding the gun he used to carry out the attack.
READ MORE
He appeared calm and focused as he headed off to carry out the shooting. Detectives have not yet established a motive for the attack which left nine men, aged between 29 and 63, dead at the Valley Transportation Authority rail yard in San Jose. Cassidy was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
San Jose VTA light rail yard shooter's neighbor Doug Suh captured surveillance video purportedly showing Samuel Cassidy toting a duffel bag as he left for work on Wednesday morning: pic.twitter.com/wYOf9dgUUB
— Dylan Bouscher (@DylanBouscher) May 26, 2021
Did Cassidy set fire to his own house?
Santa Clara County Sheriff Deputy Russell said it’s believed Cassidy took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound since responding officers did not exchange gunfire with him. According to the public payroll and pension database Transparent California, Cassidy had worked for Valley Transportation Authority since at least 2012, first as a mechanic from 2012 to 2014, then as someone who maintained substations. He earned more than $114,000 in regular and overtime pay along with an additional $46,000 in benefits in 2019, according to public records, CBS SF Bay Area reported.
Police believe Cassidy also set fire to his home which stands on Angmar Court before carrying out the bloodbath at the rail yard. "It would appear as if the fire was set as the shooter was on his way to the worksite," San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement. A bomb squad was present at the shooting location after police received information about explosive devices inside the VTA building. After he departed in a white Ford pick-up truck, flames were seen billowing from the property -- a sight which was also captured by Cassidy's neighbor, Suh's camera.
#BREAKING Neighbor Doug Suh shot this video with his cell phone of @VTA shooting suspect’s home bursting into flames early this morning, about the same time the shooting began at the VTA Corp yard, 11 miles away. #abc7now pic.twitter.com/FZrrxezuCv
— Laura Anthony (@LauraAnthony7) May 26, 2021
No confirmation about gunman's identity
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen refused to confirm that the gunman who shot and killed the VTA employees was Samuel Cassidy, in a press conference.
“I’m not going to confirm that,” he responded when reporters asked him to confirm the gunman’s name. “I feel like I’ve seen it so many places that you have confirmed it. Part of why just confirm it is I, I don’t want to bring more publicity to the person who did this by saying the person’s name. Because I don’t want to give more recognition to someone like this.”