Assistance center begins allowing families in, Gilroy officials working to return property to owners

GILROY, Calif. (KTVU) - While detectives continue to scour the festival grounds for clues, attendees who left everything as they ran for their lives are still looking to retrieve their property.

Jessica Redd spent part of early Tuesday afternoon asking a question echoed by thousands of others: When can I get to my car? In her case, it's a Hyundai SUV left inside the main parking lot Sunday after shots were fired at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

"I don't expect to get it back anytime soon. I'm not trying to get it back. I just wanted an ETA so I could find out how long I'm gonna rent my car for," said Redd, a vendor at the annual festival.

People and their property were separated when 19-year-old Santino Legan allegedly opened fire, killing two children and one young adult.

Redd was cooking in Gourmet Ally when the sound of gunfire filled the air.

"It's very sad that one person can do this much damage," she said.

FBI agents are only letting drivers who parked in an overflow lot retrieve their vehicles. Others must wait.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara County officials opened a Family Assistance Center at Rucker Elementary School Monday, but started letting in families Tuesday morning.

"Victims of this horrible tragedy are going to be able to seek services and start the process of recovering," said Adam Flores, a Santa Clara County deputy district attorney.

Officials say the site is a one-stop-shop for resources such as behavioral health the Red Cross, victim's services stretching across county lines.

"A victim can apply, and we'll pay for a therapist of their choice. We also help pay for relocation assistance. We help pay for medical assistance that result from the crime," said DA's Victims Services Coordinator Sylvia Mata.

County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the blame for the violence and loss of life sits squarely with the suspect, adding that the county is doing everything it can to help victims and those who attended the festival.

"People process grief and tragedy in different ways and it's often good idea to talk to a counselor after a situation like this happens," said Rosen.

More than a dozen people had come into the Family Assistance Center by late Tuesday afternoon.

But thousands of others have another need – to know when they'll be able to retrieve their possessions.

"I'm gonna let them do their job and take it day-by-day," said Redd.

There are two community support meetings to be held concurrently Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Community Solutions and at Rebekah Children's Services, both of which are in Gilroy, Calif.

The assistance center will be open for the rest of the week, and officials hope to start the process of returning cars to owners before the end of the week.

Support and counseling services are available throughout the week for families and individuals of all ages at Christopher High School.

These services are available the following days and times:

• Tuesday, July 30, 2019: 9:00AM – 8:00PM
• Wednesday, July 31, 2019: 9:00AM – 5:30PM
• Thursday, August 1, 2019: 9:00AM – 8:00PM
• Friday, August 2, 2019: 9:00AM – 8:00PM

Individuals can also contact Community Solutions 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 408-683-4118 or the Rebekah Children's Services main line at 408-846-2100.

Additional support services will be available in the following weeks and information will be posted on Community Solutions' and RCS' Facebook pages at: https://www.facebook.com/CommunitySolutions and https://www.facebook.com/rcskids.