Gilroy Police Chief Identifies Heroic Officers Who Stopped Garlic Festival Rampage
GILROY (CBS SF) -- The heroic Gilroy police officers who stopped a 19-year-old gunman from committing even more carnage during last week's mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival have been identified.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Gilroy police chief Scot Smithee spoke the names of three officers, all law enforcement veterans of over 10 years.
Eric Cryar is a 23-year-veteran, Hugo Del Moral is a 17-year-veteran and Robert Basuino is a 13-year veteran. Police chief Smithee had high praise for the three men, though he called them "incredibly humble."
"I think they're heroes," Scot said. "They're not particularly excited about being in the limelight, but they deserve recognition for what they did."
Scot asked that the media respect the privacy of the three officers and their families while the investigation continues. "It has been a long and difficult week for all of them," police said in a statement.
Police also said one more victim came forward and said they were grazed by a bullet. This increased the total injury count from the shooting to 16 from 15.
On Thursday, the FBI and the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association began the process of returning personal belongings to people and vendors who fled the fairgrounds as they ran for safety.