3 days ago
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- On Black Friday, thousands of shoppers astatine Valley Fair Mall successful San Jose were sent moving for their lives oregon locked down successful stores aft 3 radical were shot.
Dozens ended up astir a artifact distant connected the beforehand steps of Martin and Irene Garcia's home. Doorbell camera video shows Martin Garcia talking to 2 frantic girls.
"There's a shooter wrong the mall, tin we travel successful please?" the girls are heard saying successful the video.
"Come inside, travel inside. If you request to travel successful my house, spell successful my house," Martin is heard saying back. The video past shows dozens of radical trickling inside.
Martin and his woman Irene rapidly turned their location into a spot of refuge for the adjacent six hours.
San Jose constabulary person arrested a fishy successful the Black Friday shooting that near 3 radical injured astatine Westfield Valley Fair Mall.
"I person a tiny house, truthful they're moving done the house, into the bedrooms and the bath to hide, and past the tub and wherever they could find a place," said Martin. "The floors were conscionable lined done the hallway and successful the surviving room, everyplace determination was a abstraction radical wanted to instrumentality screen successful lawsuit thing was going to happen."
Some radical who were incapable to get to their cars stayed until midnight. Irene said they ordered pizza, prayed together, and listened to Christmas music. She besides reflected connected the panicked parents who were separated from their children during the chaos and came to her location to reunite with them.
"They came to our door, and it was truly beauteous to spot that. And affectional to spot that due to the fact that arsenic a parent, that's your worst fear," said Irene.
Irene besides shared however she wasn't amazed to spot her hubby unfastened up their location similar that to truthful many.
"This is however Martin is. He is highly helpful," said Irene. "It is not a astonishment that Martin really opened his doorway to 50-plus strangers to travel successful and instrumentality shelter. He's got a big, large heart. And truthful it was it was decidedly connected show astatine that day."
On Monday, San Jose Police said they caught their suspect, a 17-year-old, who was already connected probation for erstwhile weapon charges. Earlier this year, constabulary said the teen tried to tally distant from constabulary with a loaded gun, but was aboriginal caught. On Friday, the teen allegedly changeable a rival pack subordinate astatine the mall, besides wounding 2 guiltless shoppers.
"Our officers person a constricted quality to forestall this benignant of juvenile unit erstwhile our juvenile laws are truthful weak," said San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph. "The young offenders consciousness astir nary fearfulness of consequences. They bring guns into our malls and occurrence them indiscriminately."
The Garcias are relieved to perceive that a shooter is successful custody, but besides empathetic to each impacted.
"It's bittersweet to spot the quality astir this young lad and the decisions helium made," said Irene. "And it's conscionable awful. But yeah, I'm thankful that cipher died. But it's inactive terrible, radical had to unrecorded done this. I mean, helium affected thousands of people, right? Not conscionable the radical that were shot."
The Garcias said determination are radical they helped who are present friends. They program connected reuniting aft the holidays.
"It was specified a horrific thing. It was astir similar a peaceful happening arsenic well, due to the fact that radical were present for a atrocious situation, but they were each benignant of taking attraction of each other," said Martin.
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