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Three people are dead and 15 wounded after a shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Police shot and killed on gunman.
USA TODAY

A shooting at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California injured 15 people and killed 3 more, bringing a horrific end to the popular annual event attended by thousands.

A 6-year-old boy was one among those killed, his father said.

“My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6,” the father of Stephen Romero told NBC Bay Area. “That’s all I can say.”

The wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some in surgery Sunday night. At least five were treated and released.

Gilroy police said at a press conference that officers engaged the shooter in less than a minute, though the scene was still considered active and nearby areas were kept on lockdown into the night.

California shooting rampage: 6 year-old Stephen Romero among victims

As news of the shooting broke, videos emerged on social media in which the sound of gunshots could be heard. 

“It’s a nightmare you don’t want to live,” said Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee at a press conference. 

Who is the suspect?

Police shot and killed one gunman, who was wielding “some kind of rifle,” shortly after he began firing. 

“It appears it was somewhat random, the way he shot at people,” Smithee said. He did not provide any additional details about the gunman.

Witnesses indicated there may have been a second suspect involved, but police are still investigating and have no identifying information on him, Smithee said. 

“We have teams working to try to track down and identify leads regarding the second suspect,” he said.

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How many people were hurt?

Smithee said that at least 15 people had been injured at the shooting. Their ages, names and injuries are unknown.

Stephen Romero, age 6, is among the three who were killed. The suspect also died.

The injured were taken to several different local hospitals and their conditions ranged from fair to critical.

Where did the shooting happen?

The Gilroy Garlic Festival, located in northern California, has been an annual event for 41 years. The three-day festival featuring food, cooking competitions and music regularly attracts thousands of attendees to the town, known for its garlic production.

Sunday was the final day of this year’s event.

More than 80,000 people attended last year’s event, according to the festival’s website. 

Was there security?

People attending the festival must pass through metal detectors and security before getting into the park. 

The suspect entered the festival by cutting through a fence, officials said.

Before the shooting: Gilroy and its garlic festival created powerful memories

“The city of Gilroy is an incredible community, and we have incredible people here,” Smithee said. “It takes literally thousands of our residents that volunteer their time to come put this on for people, and to raise funds for all of our community-based organizations and charities and whatnot, and you can’t say that about a lot of communities.” 

What have witnesses said?

San Jose resident Angela Escarcega said her family has been going to the festival for over 10 years. After running from the gunfire with her son in her arms and meeting with the rest of her family at the reunification center at Gavilan College, they said now they don’t want to go anymore. 

“My little one,” she said of her 9-year-old son. “He’s ready to go home.”

Evenny Reyes, a 13-year-old Gilroy resident, told the Mercury News that she had spent the day with her friends and relatives at the festival when chaos erupted.

“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.”

Gilroy resident Luis Godoy said he was with friends and family, including his infant son, at the festival when they heard gunshots and took cover.

“It was a little scary. We saw a mob of people just kind of running away from where the shooting was happening,” he said.

Godoy said he and his family live close by and attend the festival every year. 

“Thank god we made it out safe and we came home,” he said.

What’s the response?

“Gilroy is an amazing community, a tightly knit community. We are a family,” said the festival’s executive director, Bryan Bowe. “It’s a sad, horribly upsetting situation that this happened on the last day of the festival.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom quickly thanked law enforcement for handling the ongoing incident. 

“This is nothing short of horrific,” Newsom tweeted. “Tonight, CA stands with the Gilroy community. My office is monitoring the situation closely.” 

President Donald Trump responded to the shooting on Twitter, telling attendees to “[b]e careful and safe” and saying that law enforcement was on the scene.

California senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris also voiced her thoughts on Twitter, calling the shooting part of a “gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate.” 

Gilroy police have asked direct witnesses to contact the department with additional information by calling (408) 846-0583.

Contributing: John Bacon, Kristin Lam, USA TODAY; Chelcey Adami, Kate Cimini and Eduardo Cuevas, Salinas Californian; Associated Press.