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Four dead, several injured in shooting rampage at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California

Posted at 7:01 PM, Jul 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-29 11:03:06-04

UPDATE 10:40 P.M.

(KGTV) -- At least four people are dead and 15 people were injured after a shooting at the Garlic Festival Sunday evening in Gilroy, police said Sunday night during a press conference.

Officials said the suspect entered the event through a neighboring creek and used a tool to cut into the fencing surrounding the festival.

At about 5:41 p.m., there were reports of gunfire at the north side of the festival area.

Gilroy Police officers staged in the north side were able to engage the suspect in less than a minute, said Gilroy Chief Police Scot Smithee. The suspect was shot and killed by Gilroy officers, Smithee said.

Police say the gunman's motive is unknown at this time.

ABC7 News in San Francisco reports, citing law enforcement sources, that a 6-year-old boy was among the victims killed in the shooting.

A manhunt is underway for a possible second suspect and the scene around the festival remains active.

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UPDATE 9:01 P.M.

(AP) -- Three dead, 12 injured

A city councilman says three people have been killed and 12 others are injured after a shooting at a festival in Gilroy, California.

Councilman Dion Bracco tells The Associated Press those are preliminary figures following Sunday's shooting.

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GILROY, Calif. (KGTV) -- At least five people have been wounded by a gunman who opened fire at a family-friendly festival in Northern California late Sunday afternoon.

The shooting was reported around 6 p.m. at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, south of San Jose, as the three-day food festival was coming to a close.

Numerous social media accounts captured video of people fleeing for safety as gunshots rang out.

Witnesses to the shooting Sunday at an annual food festival described the confusion and panic at the scene, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Evenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the newspaper she was leaving the festival and witnessed several injured victims.

"We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandana wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying," Reyes said. "There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out."

Lex De La Herran told CNN he was walking away from the stage and "about two minutes later, I looked over to hear multiple gun shots and saw smoke through the air."

"Initially I thought it was fireworks," he said. "People started screaming and running, I instinctively did the same. It was complete chaos."

At least five people were hospitalized, a Santa Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman says.

The conditions of the hospitalized victims range from fair to critical, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Gilroy Police Department on its Twitter account issued a statement saying: "The hearts of Gilroy PD and entire community go out to the victims of today's shooting at the Garlic Festival. The scene is still active. If you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification center at Gavilan College at parking lot B."