San Jose Mass Shooting UPDATE: Bomb Squad Investigation at San Jose VTA Mass Shooter's Home Stretches Into Night
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Residents who live near the home of San Jose VTA shooter Samuel Cassidy were told Wednesday evening that they would not be able to return to their homes until Thursday because of the ongoing investigation.
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Firefighters in San Jose battled two separate fires Wednesday morning, one of which was connected to the mass shooting at the VTA rail yard and required the response of the bomb squad due to dangerous materials.
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One fire was burning a structure on the 1800 block of Smith Ave. The two-alarm fire was originally reported at around 6:30 a.m.
By 9 a.m., fire crews had the fire under control. According to the San Jose Fire Department, the blaze ignited outside and spread to nearby commercial building. The fire also destroyed a non-residential out-building in a nearby mobile home park. Firefighters planned to remain on scene for several hours. There were no reports of any injuries.
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A second two-alarm fire was burning about four miles away in a residential neighborhood on the 1100 block of Angmar Ct. Crews had the fire at the single-family residence under control by 7:27 a.m., the department tweeted. Responders reported no injuries to firefighters nor residents and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
At a press conference regarding the VTA rail facility shooting where nine people were killed, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo confirmed that the FBI was investigating the fire at Angmar Ct. in connection to the massacre.
KPIX also confirmed that the home is owned by Samuel Cassidy, the 57-year-old VTA employee who has been identified as the gunman in the mass shooting Wednesday morning.
At around 1 p.m., KPIX cameras were asked to move away from the home for personal safety. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office bomb squad is on the scene and a block safety radius has been set up around the home.
Officials later confirmed that cans of gasoline and hundreds of rounds of ammunition had been found inside the home. Authorities described some of the items as "bomb-making materials."
Authorities additionally evacuated neighboring houses in the same one-block radius around Cassidy's home. A no-fly zone was also established over the home.
At one point authorities told KPIX that the investigation would wrap up and residents would be allowed back in their homes some time around 8:30 p.m.
That completion time has since been pushed back, with police telling area residents they should find a place to stay for the evening.
Officials had earlier confirmed that authorities were searching for explosives at the scene of the San Jose VTA rail hub shooting. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, that search at the shooting site was still ongoing.
