Families of shooting victims speak out following Gilroy tragedy
As the dust settles at the grounds of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, families are left with hurt and questions.
Six-year-old Stephen Romero, 13-year-old Keyla Salazar and 25-year-old Trevor Irby’s families are still trying to process it all.
“No one can understand this level of violence and why would someone do this and why to an innocent kid, it’s just impossible to process,” said Salazar’s aunt Katiuska Pimental.
Those feelings are shared with Stephen Romero’s family.
“This isn’t right,” said Romero’s cousin, Joshua Guincho “especially for such a little boy to pass away like this. Does this really have to happen?”
Santa Clara County opened a family assistance center at Rucker Elementary School. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. the rest of the week.
Organizers, like Deputy District Attorney Adam Flores, said they are hoping everyone takes advantage of it.
“You can seek counseling. You can work with the California compensation board. For example, if you’re a vendor, you may be seeking lost wages. They can help in that process in applying for those lost wages,” said Flores.
Flores added that this isn’t just for victims who were physically hurt.
“If you were there and saw the shooter, or even if you were there and didn’t see the shooter, or if you had a family member there, we have services here for you,” Flores said.
If the Family Assistance Center closes this Friday, the Victims Services Unit for Santa Clara County will still be available and offer resources for as long as needed.
The Victim Services Unit San Jose office is also available for walk-ins Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 70 W. Hedding St., West Wing, San Jose. You are asked to contact the Family Assistance Center at 408-209-8356 for additional information.
Additional Resources:
• At this time, people can call the Behavioral Health Call Center and be directed to services. The call center number is 1-800-704-0900. For the Mobile Crisis team, select option 2.
• The Suicide and Crisis Hotline can be reached at 1-855-278-4204 or text RENEW to 741741 to speak confidentially with a crisis counselor.
• Bill Wilson Center has three dedicated Crisis Hotlines: 408-850-6125, Youth Crisis Hotline 408-278-2585, and Grief Counseling Support 408-278-2512.
• Dial 2-1-1 for access to health and human services, such as mental health counseling. It is a free, non-emergency, confidential service that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Mandarin and 140 other languages.
