Gilroy shooting survivors share their traumatic experience

Brynn Ota-Matthews and Gabriella Gaus are now speaking out about the horrors of Sunday night’s shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

Both women are still trying to process what they went through.

“The fact that he had a real gun it’s still hard to register that’s what happened,” said Gaus.

They were about half-way up the inflatable slide when the first shot rang out.

Gaus said, “We were like what was that and then I am immediately located him to the left, he was over my left shoulder and I saw him with a gun.”

They were then left with having to get off the slide to run to safety.

“It was the most terrifying place to be, it was just boxed in on all four sides,” said Ota-Matthews.

As they were running, Gaus recalled seeing officers running towards the shooter.

But before he was shot and killed, both women were hit with his bullets.

Gaus was grazed in the back and shoulder. Ota-Matthews was hit in the back, the bullet is still inside her.

“It grazed my lung, it went through my liver and it punctured my diaphragm, but the liver is the best organ I guess is what the doctors have been telling me it heals really fast, so I’m going to have a bullet in my liver for my whole life.”

They said a stranger named John took them to the hospital so they did not have to take an ambulance.

Hospital staff said they remember the two women that night.

“It’s remarkable, the two most calm people there were probably these two. Gabriella who suffered several gunshot ones, some of them and potentially critical location was more concerned about her friend Brynn than herself,” said Saint Louise Regional Medical Director Brian Saavedra.

Gaus and Matthews say while they’re happy to be alive, they want to speak out for the victims Keyla Salazar, Stephen Romero and Trevor Irby, who no longer have a voice.

“They are not here to share what they witnessed and what they went through. To their families, we are so sorry, we love you guys and we’re with you guys,” said Gaus.

While law enforcement still search for a motive and there is no telling if this could have been prevented, Gaus said it’s a reminder to always check in on your friends.

“If they’re getting into a certain ideology, watch it and see where it goes. I think if someone checked in on his mental health this maybe could have been stopped.”