Indian-Origin Sikh Man Among 9 Killed in California Mass Shooting

An Indian-origin Sikh man is among the nine people declared dead after the mass shooting episode in San Jose, California.

(Photo: IANS)

An Indian-origin Sikh man, who reportedly helped save at least one person in the mass shooting incident that occurred in California's San Jose on Wednesday, 26 May, is among nine people declared dead after the violent episode.

Taptejdeep Singh, 36, was a train operator for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, a local light rail transportation system, reports said.

Singh was shot dead by a fellow transit worker who had opened fire at a rail yard in San Jose, California, an area that lies in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The deceased's brother, Bagga Singh, told San Jose Mercury News that his brother had helped a lady take cover in a control room after the shooting began. He added that while his brother may be considered a hero, “He should have saved his life, too. We lost a good person.”

The California Mass Shooting Episode

According to an AP report, a transit worker opened fire at a rail yard in San Jose on Wednesday, 26 May.

As many as nine people were reported dead and several others injured in the aftermath of the horrific incident.

The perpetrator, Sam Cassidy, an employee at the local Valley Transportation Authority, was also reported dead after the shooting episode.

The shooting had first been reported a little before 7 am local time. The incident took place at a union meeting, and at least 80 staff members were present on site at the time. The police, on having received numerous 911 calls reporting gunshots, had hurried to the scene.

Rising Gun Violence in US

The shooting episode comes after a spate of mass killings in the US. According to data collected by AP, USA Today, and Northeastern University, the San Jose attack is the 15th mass killing so far in 2021, all of which were shootings.

President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House in order to mark the loss of the deceased at San Jose.

“Every life that is taken by a bullet pierces the soul of our nation. We must do more,” the President said in a tweet.

In early May, President Joe Biden had condemned the rising incidence of gun violence in the United States, calling it an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment.”

(With inputs from AP and IANS.)