San Francisco 49ers Hold Moment of Silence After Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting

The San Francisco 49ers took a moment Monday to honor those tragically affected by the horrific mass shooting Sunday night in Gilroy, California at the annual Garlic Festival.

Hundreds of thousands gathered through the weekend in Christmas Hill Park in northern California for the annual celebration that is one of the country’s best known festivals. Dedicated to the “garlic capital of the world,” families and folks of all ages gather for a weekend of food, music and friendship. Sunday however changed that forever.

Santino William Legan, 19, allegedly cut through fence wire to enter the grounds and quickly began firing into the crowd with a semi-automatic rifle that looks similar to an AK-47. The gunman killed three and wounded counts of others before police shot the suspect, killing him in the process.

Leadership of the festival released the following statement Monday, sharing that the “entire community” is “devastated.”

“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this horrific event. We are offering any and all resources available to support our community and law enforcement. We ask for your prayers and understanding at this incredibly difficult time,” the statement read.

At a press conference Sunday evening, Brian Bowe, Executive Director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, added how “Gilroy is an amazing, tightly-knit community.”

“We are family. We have had the wonderful opportunity in this community to celebrate our family through our Garlic Festival, and for over four decades that festival has been our annual family reunion. It’s such a sad, just horribly upsetting circumstance that this happened on the third and final day of this year’s festival,” Bowe said.

Shawn Keck, President of the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival, spoke in support of the more than 4,000 volunteers who worked to organize and host the annual festival.

“We are heartbroken that senseless violence brought this year’s festival to such a terrible and tragic end. We are truly grateful to the Gilroy Police Department, who responded immediately to prevent further loss of life, and to the hundreds of other first responders from regional and federal agencies who have provided additional support. We are also thankful for the thoughts and prayers and outpouring of support from people all over the world.”

If you are a witness with information about the shooting, please call the witness hotline at 408-846-0583. If you are seeking information about a loved one, please call the reunification hotline at 408-846-0584. A media line has also been established by the Gilroy Police Department at 408-842-0432.