3 killed, 12 injured in shooting at festival, official says
Gilroy (US): Three people were killed and 12 others injured Sunday after a shooting at an annual food festival in Northern California, according to a city official.
Gilroy Councilman Dion Bracco told The Associated Press those are the preliminary figures.
Witnesses reported confusion and panic as shots rang out at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in the city of 50,000 located about 80 miles (176 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.
The shooting occurred during the three-day celebration featuring food, cooking competitions and music that attracts more than 100,000 people.
Sunday was the final day of this year's event Stanford Medical Center has two patients being treated from the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, spokeswoman Julie Greicius said.
She had no details on their injuries or conditions. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center received five victims, spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said.
She also had no information on their conditions. Evenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the newspaper that spent the day at the festival with her friends and relatives.
"We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandana wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying," Reyes said.
"There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out." Reyes said that she didn't run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks.
"It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies everyone was crying, people were screaming."
Todd Jones, a sound engineer, told the newspaper that he was at the front of the festival's Vineyard stage when he heard what sounded like a firework.
"But then it started to increase, more rapidly, which sounded more like gunfire, and at that point people realized what was happening," Jones said.
Natalie Martinez, a Gilroy Resident, told the Mercury News that she had gone to get food and separated from her two daughters. "I ran to find the girls . and we basically ran into each other. I thought, We're open prey. It was awful."
Video first posted on social media sites about 5:30 pm showed people running for safety at the festival, Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to the scene of the shooting.
The Gilroy Police Department on its Twitter account issued a statement saying: "The hearts of Gilroy PD and entire community go out to the victims of today's shooting at the Garlic Festival. The scene is still active. If you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification center at Gavilan College at parking lot B."
President Donald Trump tweeted about the shooting Sunday night. "Law Enforcement is at the scene of shootings in Gilroy, California. Reports are that shooter has not yet been apprehended. Be careful and safe!" he wrote.(AP)
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
