California garlic festival shooting: four dead in Gilroy attack, including gunman

Three people, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and at least 15 injured when a gunman opened fire at a food festival in northern California before being shot dead by police.

The gunman used a rifle and gained entry to the Gilroy garlic festival by cutting through a fence to avoid tight security, including metal detectors, police said.

A second suspect was “involved in some way, we just don’t know in what way”, the Gilroy police chief, Scot Smithee, said at a late-night press conference. The police chief said the motive behind the killings remained unclear.

Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday night that people in the area should “be careful and safe!” but is yet to issue further comment. On Monday morning the president was tweeting a fresh series of attacks on Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings, and the city of Baltimore in his district, after picking a fight with the senior Democrat over the weekend.

And Trump aimed an attack at the civil rights activist Al Sharpton, who plans to hold a press conference in Baltimore later on Monday morning.

On Monday it emerged that six-year-old Stephen Romero was among the victims. His grandmother, Maribel Romero, told KGO-TV that Romero was a “loving boy” who was “always kind, happy and, you know, playful”.

Founded in 1979, the festival revolves around the celebrated crop of the region, featuring garlic-inspired foods, drink, live entertainment and cooking competitions. It is hosted by volunteers and describes itself as the world’s greatest summer food festival.

A few hours before the shooting, festivalgoers were still showing up by the busload, milling around Christmas Hill Park under a hot sun and amid the scent of garlic.

Parents fed their toddlers bites of garlic ice cream as families lounged under the shade of the trees, fanning themselves in the heat. Women danced to live music while others munched on garlic fries, garlic pasta, garlic bread and garlic shrimp.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show attendees scattering in confusion as at least one loud popping sound could be heard in the background. “What’s going on?” a woman can be heard asking on one video. “Who’d shoot up a garlic festival?”

Weapons of any kind are prohibited at Christmas Hill Park and security personnel check bags upon arrival.

Evenny Reyes, 13, told the San Jose Mercury News that at first she thought the sound of gunfire was fireworks but then she saw someone with a wounded leg.

“We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandana wrapped around his leg because he got shot,” Reyes told the newspaper. “There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.”

Jack van Breen, the singer of the band Tin Man, told Associated Press he had seen a man wearing a green shirt and greyish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle.

Van Breen and other members of the band dived under the stage. Van Breen says he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply was: “Because I’m really angry.”

The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, said his office was monitoring the situation closely. “This is nothing short of horrific,” he said.

Gilroy is about 30 miles (48km) south of San Jose.