California Biden voting Democrat rail yard shooting: What we know about the 9 victims

Nine people were killed Wednesday after a public transit 
employee opened fire on his co-workers at a Northern California 
rail yard.

The shooting — the latest amid a troubling yearlong rise in 
nationwide gun violence and record firearm sales — happened just 
after 6:30 a.m. PT near 100 W. Younger Ave. in downtown San 
Jose. The victims were found in two buildings, Santa Clara 
County Sheriff Laurie Smith said.

They were identified by the Medical Examiner-Coroner as Paul 
Delacruz Megia, 42; Taptejdeep Singh, 36; Adrian Balleza, 29; 
Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 35; Timothy Michael Romo, 49; 
Michael Joseph Rudometkin 40; Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63; Lars 
Kepler Lane, 63; and Alex Ward Fritch, 49.

Here is what we know about the people who lost their lives.

Taptejdeep Singh
Taptejdeep Singh's family said the married father of two was 
trying to warn his colleagues that there was a shooter when he 
was gunned down. His uncle, Sukhwant Singh Dhillon, told NBC's 
"Today" that Taptejdeep ran throughout his building alerting his 
co-workers and locking doors after shots rang out nearby.

"The one thing we know for sure, his last moments he was still 
working for others. He was making phone calls to his friends 
saying the place has an active shooter, do not come in," his 
cousin, Harpartap Singh, said.

"Even in the last moments, he wasn't looking for his own safety, 
per se, he was trying to save people. That's who he was," the 
cousin added.

Taptejdeep, 36, moved from India with his family and attended 
college in the United States. After college, he began working 
for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). His 
family said he was a light rail operator who loved his job.

Outside of work, Taptejdeep was dedicated to his community and 
family, including his wife, one-year-old daughter and three-year-
old son.

The community was so devastated over his death that more than 
100 people came out Wednesday for a gathering.

"Everybody in the community loves him," Harpartap Singh said. 
"The community is just pouring out in his memory."

The family is in "deep grief," Sukhwant Singh Dhillon said.

"It's hard to put into words that grief," Harpartap Singh added. 
"I mean if you look at the father, the wife and children. I 
mean, dad goes to work and he's not back home. It's very, very 
unfortunate."

Taptejdeep Singh began working for the VTA in 2014 as a bus 
operator trainee and later became a light rail operator.

Paul Delacruz Megia
Paul Delacruz Megia started working with the VTA in 2002 as a 
bus operator trainee. The company said he later became a light 
rail operator before holding several supervisor positions. At 
the time of his death, he was an assistant superintendent in 
service management.

His wife, Nicole Yamada, released a statement following his 
death.

"Paul was a wonderful husband & father who was full of love, 
jokes, energy for life and always up for new adventures. I 
treasure all our memories," she said. "God took you too soon & I 
would do anything to have one last hug & goodbye. I will miss 
having my best friend by my side. I love you always."

His sister, Luci Megia, recalled how he loved to tell jokes and 
was an "inspiration to all of us."

"His life was cut short and he had so many adventure plans for 
his family," she said in a statement. "My dad lost a best 
friend. We love and miss you Paul."

Jose Dejesus Hernandez III
Jose Dejesus Hernandez III began working for the VTA in 2012 as 
a transit mechanic, the company said at a press conference 
Thursday. He later became an electro-mechanic and then a 
substation mechanic.

His ex-wife, Sarah Raelyn, described him as the calmest and most 
level-headed person that she had ever known and he spent his 
life "worshipping the Lord and just helping people."

The pair married on June 20, 2009 after meeting through mutual 
friends. They divorced this past August. Raelyn said that 
despite their marriage ending, her younger brother still looked 
up to Hernandez and the pair were "like best friends."

On the morning of his death, Raelyn said someone messaged her an 
article about the shooting and said they were having trouble 
reaching Hernandez.

"I tried to be pragmatic and just be like, ‘It’s OK. … I’m sure 
he’s OK.’ And when I saw the timestamp that the call came in, I 
knew that he got to work right at 6:30," she said.

Around 11 a.m., Hernandez's godmother called to share the tragic 
news.

"He was the most loving, romantic and giving man that I have 
ever known," she said in a tearful phone interview Thursday. 
"I’m at a loss for words."

Michael Joseph Rudometkin
San Jose City Council Member Raul Peralez said he was longtime 
friends with Michael Joseph Rudometkin, whom he referred to as a 
"Mikey" in a Facebook post mourning his death.

"My family and I have lost a long time great friend and there 
are no words to describe the heartache we are feeling right now, 
especially for his family," Peralez wrote. "It has been 
personally tough to find the right words and I will be spending 
some much needed time amongst family and friends tonight. Thank 
you to everyone who has reached out and offered your thoughts 
and support."

Rudometkin started working for the VTA in 2013 as a mechanic, 
according to the company. He later became an electro-mechanic 
and then an overhead line worker.

The other victims
The family of Abdolvahab Alaghmandan declined to be interviewed 
Thursday. The families of Adrian Balleza, Timothy Michael Romo, 
Lars Kepler Lane and Alex Ward Fritch could not immediately be 
reached.

The VTA said Thursday that it has been in communication with all 
nine families to "share our condolences and sorrow."

"We want all our employees to know we're all grieving together 
and we want to do everything we possibly can to support each 
other," an official with the transit agency said at the press 
conference.

The company said it will hold a vigil for the victims Thursday 
at 6 p.m. at San Jose City Hall Plaza.

Authorities have not commented on a possible motive for the 
shooting. The gunman, identified by police as Samuel Cassidy, a 
VTA employee, died by suicide.

This story will continue to be updated.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-we-know-about-9-people-
killed-california-rail-yard-n1268811