SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — New photos shared by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Friday show what authorities say was inside the home of the man who killed nine people at the San Jose Valley Transportation Authority Wednesday.
The suspect was identified as 57-year-old Sam Cassidy — a VTA worker.
Multiple cans of gasoline, suspected Molotov cocktails, 12 firearms and about 22,000 rounds of ammunition were found inside Cassidy’s home. Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office investigators say the evidence points to a planned event during which Cassidy was prepared to use his firearms to take as many lives as he could.
Officials were also investigating a suspicious fire that broke out at the suspect’s home just before the shooting. Authorities now believe Cassidy was responsible for setting the fire.
A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured video of Cassidy moments before the shooting Wednesday morning.
Video shows the 57-year-old loading a large duffel bag into his white truck as he left for work around 5:40 a.m.
Surveillance video shared Thursday showed Cassidy at the VTA rail yard the morning of the shooting. In the video, Cassidy was walking through the parking lot in between the buildings where he shot and killed his coworkers.
Officials say, at this time, there is no information on a possible motive.
Cassidy’s ex-wife, Cecilia Nelms, said Cassidy had a bad temper and would tell her that he wanted to kill people at work, “but I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now.”
Nelms, teary-eyed and shaken by the news, said her ex-husband would come home wound up and angry about things that happened at work. As he talked about it, “he would get more mad,” she said. “He could dwell on things.”
When Cassidy lost his temper, Nelms said there were times she was scared. He was someone who could physically hurt others, she said.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen told Nexstar’s KRON4 he doesn’t know if there’s anything officials could have done to prevent this shooting.
Rosen says the investigation is active, in terms of figuring out exactly what the perpetrator did, the motive, and whether there were any clues or signs.
