the father of paul megia said that his son followed in his footsteps as an operator at the vta. >> we really enjoyed each other, seeing each other because he would be on the light rail. i would be on the bus and we would see each other and wave and it was happy time. but yesterday was the saddest moment of my life. >> more than a dozen people spoke at the vigil. some shared stories of the victims. ktvu's amber lee is in san jose tonight with more on the tributes. amber. >> reporter: frank, people tell me they came here to give and receive comfort. we heard from the victims' families and friends about their loss and the men's dedication to their jobs as essential workers. >> paul de la cruz megia. >> reporter: san jose mayor sam liccardo read the names of each victim killed in the vta shooting. an estimated crowd of 2,000 strong came to find solace including the family of paul de la cruz megia. >> god took my best friend husband too soon and i'm wishing i could give him one last hug and tell him how much i love you. >> reporter: the family of a vta bus operator tells me they made this

including this story about one of the victims, paul megia. at a vigil for him last night, we heard from his wife, his mother, his children, and one of his coworkers who said paul megia saved her life on wednesday. "today in the bay's" cheryl hurd takes us to a vigil in the town of mountainhouse just outside of tracy. >> reporter: paul megia lived in this mountainhouse community. family and friends gathered to honor him. one of his coworkers came and she told a gut-wrench historic of how he saved her life. >> he just got there and he opened my door, told me to go in, lock the door, please don't let anybody in. >> reporter: cecelia crowder came to paul megia's memorial to tell his family and friends why he was a hero. >> it was no more than three or four minutes when i heard gunshots coming in, while at us. and i'm really sorry. >> reporter: about 100 people standing in front of mountainhouse's city hall to pay tribute to paul. the gathering was personal, because it took place in his hometown. his wife, nicole, talked about how he loved his chi

we look at at the life of paul megia. his boss talks to us next. >>> we have fog rolling into the san francisco airport right now. it's going to get hotter and more sunshine on the way. i will talk about the heat in eight minutes. >>> as millions of americans hit the road on what could be the biggest holiday getaway since the panpandemic, we are on the road. >>> lost at sea. a daughter learns her father's resting place from world war go when we see you tonight. in business, it's never just another day. it's the big sale, or the big presentation. the day where everything goes right. or the one where nothing does. with comcast business you get the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses and advanced cybersecurity to protect every device on it— all backed by a dedicated team, 24/7. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. coverage following the mass shooting. hall where the vigil is about to start at 6:00. i will get out of the way.

dejesus hernandez iii. 63-year-old lars kepler lane. 40-year-old i-team. 42-year-old paul delacruz megia and 36-year-old with 49-year-old timothy michael romo. >> nine workers are all the shooting victims. no one else was injured. >> tonight, a vigil will be held at san jose city hall to honor their lives. the shooter also a employee. he took his own life yesterday. investigators revealed new details saying he had several guns and fired several rounds. it is still an active investigation seen. some service has been delayed indefinitely. buses will be available. cornell bernard has been following the latest details. we begin our coverage with cornell. >> reporter: kristin, the fbi has joined this investigation and said the vta railyard you see behind me. that is where the massacre unfolded. tonight, we are told they will be mapping it out re-create a virtual-reality version of the events and the scene to determine how things unfolded yesterday. meantime, the sheriff revealing new details about the gunman and how much firepower he really had. >> i don't know whether people were targeted we

now all identified -- abdi alaghmandan, adrian balleza, alex fritch, jose hernandez, lars lane, paul megia, taptejdeep singh, timothy romo, michael rudometkin. today, the valley transportation authority holding a moment of silence honoring them. >> you know, we get up every morning safe in the belief that when we go to work, that we would come home to our family and our loved ones. that did not happen. >> reporter: taptejdeep singh, a married father of two, now being called a hero. his brother karman saying he warned co-workers when the gunfire erupted, even helping one woman take cover. singh's family in anguish over his death. >> his first instinct even in the last moment was to help other people. when it came to shots are fired, his first instinct was to pick up his phone, call anybody that he can to run. >> reporter: alex fritch, a father of three, was critically injured in the shooting and rushed to the hospital. his wife terra by his side in his final moments. >> his hand, it had been twitchy but it grabbed my hand, and the nurse came in because he was dteriorating, and she said, "he

also 36-year-old taptejdeep singh. 40-year-old michael rudometkin. 42-year-old raul megia.x fritch. 39-year-old jose hernandez. 49-year-old timothy romo. 63-year-old abdolvahab alaghmandan. and 63-year-old lars lane. this is what we know about the mass shooting and the latest on the investigation. the vta light rail facility in downtown san jose where this massacre happened yesterday morning remains locked down as detectives remain on the scene. the gunman killed nine of his co-workers. he then turned the gun on himself. we're learning that the gunman used two semiautomatic handguns and had 11 magazines with him. >> we have team coverage for you. bob redell is live at the home of the shooter, first let's go to kris sanchez. you were present for that news conference. what did you learn there? >> you know, the speakers here at vta headquarters said today is really about honoring the victims, their families and the vta family as they try to figure out what is happening and why it happened and how to move forward. we saw a lot of employees arriving together, trying to offer eac

tonight, we had hearing from paul megia's widow.ne of his co-workers speaking at the memorial tonight, saying she's alive because of paul. nbc bay area's cheryl hurd has the story. >> reporter: family and friends gathered to honor him tonight. one of his co-workers came, and she told a gut wrenching story how she saved her life. >> he opened the door, told me to go in, lock the dor, don't let anybody in. >> reporter: she came to the memorial to tell family and friends. >> i heard all the gunshots coming in, while the shooter came in the office, shooting it up, and -- paul saved my life and i'm very blessed. >> reporter: about 100 people standing in front of mountain house's city hall. his wife nicole talked about how he loved his children. >> we had inside jokes that we were the weekend warriors. i promise you paul, the kids and i will live on through your legacy for the love of the outdoors. we love you so much. >> reporter: his mother and children talked about the man they will miss. >> i'm going to miss my son. he's my only son.

michael rudometkin. 42-year-old paul megia.lso among those whose lives were lost 49-year-old alex fritch. 35-year-old jose hernandez iii. 49-year-old timothy romo. 63-year-old abdolvahab alaghmandan, and 63-year-old lars lane. joining us now this morning san jose mayor sam liccardo. thanks so much for taking the time to join us this morning. >> good morning. >> it's hard to grasp what's happened in our city of san jose, the entire bay area as well. this story broke early. the first 911 call in just after 6:35 yesterday morning. where were you when you first heard the news, and what was your reaction? >> i was actually on my way to work at the time. i was going to be speaking at a conference and was hearing the news from the fire chief about a fire and then from our vta general manager and then finally from the police chief. a lot of information coming at once. we were trying to make sense of what was going on and very disorienting until we finally could determine that san jose police officers had gotten there to at least stop t

as you mentioned, taptejdeep singh was 36 and paul delacruz megia was 43. we spoke with the singh family who told us he heard gunshots and then called for the people to get to safety, even pushing some of his colleagout. they waited for hours, family, agonizing. and now they know he won't be coming home. >> we suffered a lot. this morning his body is still there. anybody could grab the purse and see the i.d. and who it is. he's family. he has so many friends. >> reporter: we will mention all of the families have been properly notified. we're not revealing their names without that happening. santa clara county will be providing victims -- the south bay labor council, another community organization set up funds to help those families. you can find links at our website. and tonight at 6:00 mayor sam liccardo and other city leaders will be hosting a vigil. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> all right. thank you very much, kris. we hope to learn more about some of these people. they were just going to work on a regular day. >>> this morning an ongoing investig

for example, paul delacruz megia, he always had a smile on his face. sometimes quick with an argument but always had a smile on his face at the end of it. inside look into the personality we saw there. and light rail ops medicaler also discussed the fact that so many of these people worked here decades and they're day in, day out in it together. they really do become a family. one interesting thing, chuck, she said in this press conference, they prepare us for an active shooter situation but they don't prepare us for the aftermath. that is so incredibly powerful. oftentimes we come out of these shootings talking about who is physically hurt, nine people who died as rightfully we should, but there's also such an emotional hurt component to this, chuck. >> it is. and this is sad. these are people -- none of us will ever get a chance to know and that is something we all have to face as we yet deal with another mass violent tragedy that looks awfully familiar and yet to many officials in office, throw up their hands and claim nothing more can be done. >>>

paul delacruz megia .audio ] >> well, we apologize for these technical difficulties. they are not coming from our end. it is the city of san jose's feed. you see sam liccardo. let's listen as we continue. our apologies for the delay. this was hastily assembled as you can imagine just 36 hours after the shooting. >> taptejdeep singh. >> jose dejesus hernandez iii. >> [ no audio ] >> once again, it looks like we have more audio issues coming from the city. that podium -- we are back. >> timothy michael romo. michael joseph rudometkin. lars kepler lane. abdolvahab alaghmandan . alex ward fritch. please join us in a moment of silence. >> thank you. i would now like to introduce latoya how are. latoya howard. welcome latoya. >> can you hear me clear out there? we have been seeking so fast into this everlasting -- [ no audio ] >> we have a generation yet to know patients and yet to know the love while labs are being struck. tenacity is needed. persistence and -- [ no audio ] . our world is an impeachment! humili

paul megia started his employee as a bus operator training. later becoming a light rail operator and transportation supervisor. transit and division supervisor and ultimately superintendent, adrian balleza -- taptejdeep singh with the light rail operator, timothy romo worked for vta is an overhead line worker. and we learned that the ninth employee died of his injuries during the attack, alex fritch , age 49 and worked as a substation maintainer. >> one of the victims was known for his selfless service to others. here's more on that story from christien kafton. >> reporter: the family of taptejdeep singh gathered to support his widow and young daughter. >> there's a big hole in this family. he is the backbone of this family. he treated me not just as those younger brother but as his son. and i never had to worry about anything. he was my backbone and my go to person for everything. >> reporter: they said his instinct to help and protect others was part of his faith and personality. >> we have a big consideration for selfless service to others.

ellos son: adrian balleza, de 29 aÑos; jose dejesus hernandez iii, de 35 aÑos; paul delacruz megia, deÑos. puede acceder a ♪ jorge: viernes 28 de mayo. >> estar con mi mamÁ, estoy mÁs alegre. jorge: wilton estÁ finalmente anasu madre en texas. >> el momento mÁs feliz de mi vida hoy. jorge: estas fotos captan el momento en que un migrante venezolano carga una anciana para cruzar el rÍo grande hacia estados unidos. las imÁgenes le dan la vuelta al mundo. >> que no pare la bÚsqueda. para bien o para mal. necesito saber. jorge: no cesa la bÚsqueda

this is paul delacruz megia, taptejdeep singh, and michael joseph rudometkin. the ninth victim has been identified as alex ward fritch who died last night . other victims are adrian balleza, jose dejesus hernandez iii, timothy michael romo who a neighbor told the chronicle was a husband, father, and vta power foreman. abdolvahab alaghmandan and lars kepler lane according to his linkedin page was a journeyman lineman. >> and where the investigation stands, the shooter killed nine people at the vta light rail yard during a shift change. we do expect a news conference with vta at 10:00 this morning that will include a tribute to the victims and updates on how this tragedal ght rail seice has been suspended and buses will be available instead . >> and tonight the community will gather outside city hall for a vigil to honor the victims. we have a look at that growing memorial. >> reporter: there are no words to comfort the families who had a loved one snatched away from them in this latest mass shooting. tonight the city of san jose will be coming together with thos

the coroner confirming 42-year- old megia died hours after arriving in critical condition. >>> there is a growing memorial outside san jose city hall honoring all nine victims and families. across the country flags are at half staff to honor the victims. this is a live look at the white house and state capitol in sacramento. president biden and governor newsom issuing separate orders to lower flags. >>> we have live team co all morng, bringing the latest developments. >>> we begin with just ota fro the sheriff there. >> reporter: we did. we found out new information about the suspect. we are told he apparently had two semi automatic hand guns inside the building. the vta you see is still blocked off, investigators still processing the scene. the sheriff told us it could be days before we learn new information but she said we may never know a motive as it relates to this. there are two scenes we are talking about. the vta yard alth at t suspt's ou13 lerst ll he mearndni sa the middlechrushed in. they cornered the gunman samuel cassidy, a vta worker, who then killed himself. this was a

. >>> -- >> and a vigil was held last night to honor the life of paul megia one of the nine shootingictims. dozens of people gathered in mountain house near tracy where the family lived, paul megia was married and had three children. the family had been planning to visit disneyland this weekend. it is just absolutely horrible and heartbreaking. you can support the families of victims in this tragedy, head to abc7 news.com/ take action and that is where we have information about how to donate to the families directly impacted by this violence. >>> moving on, happening now with more than half of u. s. adults now fully vaccinated, millions of americans are on the move. aaa protects more than 37 million will travel over the memorial day weekend, a 60% increase compared to last year. 34 million will be hitting the road and that includes about 4.5 million californians. the tsa says it expects to screen 6 million passengers through tomorrow. many people are taking a big step this memorial day weekend and traveling for the first time since the pandemic began is it safe to stay in a tel for e

paul megia was married and had three children, the family had been planning to visit disneyland this weekend. >>> you can help support the families of the victims in this horrible tragedy, head to abc7 news.com/take action and we have information about how to donate to the families directly impacted by this gun violence. >>> happening now with more than half of u. s. adults now fully vaccinated millions of americans are on the move. aaa predicts more than 37 million people will travel for the memorial day weekend, that is a 60% increase compared to l already 4 million will be hitting the road and that includes about 4.5 million californians. and the tsa expects to screen 6 million passengers through tomorrow. >>> an unpleasant surprise, with the millions of americans hitting the road we are seeing the highest gas prices in seven years. not surprisingly california leads the nation in the bay area is no exception. according to aaa on average a gallon of gas is going for $4.33 in san francisco. drivers in oakland and san jose are seeing $4.25. >>> many people are taking a big step this

paul megia, 42, started employment in 2002 as bus operator trainee later becoming light rail operator, transportation supervisor, transit division supervisor, ultimately assistant superintendent in service management. singh 36 started employment in 2014 as bus operator trainee, later becoming a light rail operator. timothy romo, 49, started for vta for over 20 years as overhead line worker. we learned late last night that a ninth employee died of his injuries during the attack. alex fritch, age 49, worked as sub station maintainer. i would like to ask that we take a moment of nce for our fallen workers. ♪♪ >> hope: to 24 hours. >> liam: to 24 hours. [ glasses clink ] >> hope: your dad insisted that we use this time to really think about the potential consequences before going to the police. but liam, i'm going to be honest, i don't wanna do that right now. i just wanna push all of this i juar from my mind as possible. i wanna devote tonight to us, to our love. >> liam: me too.

they are delacruz megia, 42; taptejdeep singh, 36; adrian balleza, 29; jose dejesus hernandez, 35; timothy michael romo, 49; michael joseph rudometkin, 40; abdolvahab alaghmandan, 63, and lars kepler lane, 63. >> reporter: we were there as some family members learned they lost someone and i have to be honest, it was difficult to hold back tears. one man told us that his cousin died a hero. they'd held onto a sliver of hope but learned nearly 12 hours after this morning's mass shooting, husband, father of two young children, mr. singh was among those murdered. his family says that they heard from the b,42 coworkers that he pushed one of them into a room to hide from the shooter and frantically called other coworkers to warn them about what was happening. the family had been waiting at the red cross after banging his phone inside a building at the vta railyard but the answers of families and friends, waited hour after hour without any answers. >> i just pray that he is okay. >> reporter: christina gonzales's cousin also tried desperately contacting him this morning, did not survive. what was

. >> reporter: the final moments of their lives told by those who survived including delacruz megia, 42; taptejdeep singh, 36; adrian balleza, 29; jose dejesus hernandez, 35; timothy michael romo, 49; michael joseph rudometkin, 40; abdolvahab alaghmandan, 63, and lars kepler lane, 63. heroic efforts. >> he was telling his coworkers to hide under benches. >> reporter: paul, superintendent also reportedly saved a coworkers life. >> that day, he wasn't even supposed to go to work. he was supposed to work at home. i was going to have breakfast with him. >> reporter: the bravery and selflessness at a workplace that they went to everyday. they say the vta was like family. >> everyone can see that he is a great person, always smiling. >> reporter: tonight a community morning alongside the families of the nine who died, families that will never understand the tragedy that unfolded wednesday morning. >> never leave home without giving your loved one a kiss goodbye. >> i took my best friend and has been too soon. i wish i could give him one last hug. and say how much i love you. >> these stori

michael era trabajador de esta emprersa desde 2018 los amigos de paul de la cruz megia lo describen comoe fue descrito como un cariqoso "marido, hermano, padre y abuelo... adrian balleza es la victima mas joven del tiroteo, tenia 29 anos , estaba casado y como ven la foto era padre de familia todos eran hombres y fueron atacados a bala cuando realizaban su jornada laboral, esto dijo el gobernador.. escuechemos auotirdades dicen que algunas de las victimas trabajaron con el atacante caro y borja aun no se sabe el motivo del ataque aÚn no se sabe el motivo de este ataque. vuelvo con ustedes. carolina: te agradecemos por esta informaciÓn. este hombre terminÓ con todo el turno de la maÑana. mientras tanto y justamente en california el hombre que estaba disparando los cristales de decenas de autos con pistolas de balines o perdigones enfrenta cargos de asalto con arma mortal. el incidente habrÍa ocurrido en varias carreteras. jesse leal rodrÍguez, de 34 aÑos, fue arrestado por autoridades y con una fianza de cerca de 1 millÓn de dÓlares. borja: una corte rechaza una nueva apelaciÓn del lÍder

adrian balleza, de 29 aÑos; jose dejesus hernandez iii, de 35 aÑos; paul delacruz megia, de 42 aÑos;chael joseph rudometkin, de 40 aÑos; taptejdeep singh, de 36 aÑos; lars kepler lane, de 63 aÑos; abdolvahab alaghmandan, de 63 aÑos; alex ward fritch, de 49 aÑos; y timothy michael romo, de 49 aÑos. puede acceder a ♪ jorge: viernes 28 de mayo. >> estar con mi mamÁ, estoy mÁs alegre. jorge: wilton estÁ finalmente anasu madre en texas. >> el momento mÁs feliz de mi vida hoy. jorge: estas fotos captan el momento en que un migrante venezolano carga una anciana para cruzar el rÍo grande hacia estados unidos. las imÁgenes le dan la vuelta al mundo. >> que no pare la bÚsqueda. para bien o para mal. necesito saber. jorge: no cesa la bÚsqueda de diez cubanos que desaparecieron al volcar su embarcaciÓn. otros dos murieron, 8 los rescataron con vida. >> cuando no parecÍa ciertas cosas, gritaba. donde explotaba. jorge: la ex esposa del asesino de san josÉ no imagicnÓ que la ira llevarÍa a una masacre. locutor: este es noticiero univisiÓn con jorge ramos e ilÍa calderÓn. ilia: dos meses despuÉs de

adrian balleza, taptejdeep singh and paul megia was 42. we talked with the singh family who told us he heard gunshots early yesterday morning, called for his colleagues to get out and get to safety, even pushed some of them. now his family knows he won't see his 1- and 3-year-old children grow up. >> we've suffered a lot. this morning his body is still there. anybody can grab the purse and see the i.d. and who it is. it's the nicer one in the family, he's family. he has too many friends. >> reporter: now all of the families have been notified so that has happened and it's okay to mention their names. santa clara county will be providing victims services to those families and co-workers as they try to move forward and the south bay labor council and another organization has set up funds to help those families. if you want to help you can find those links at nbcbayarea.com. if you need support or to find a place to heal there will be a vigil sat city hall at 6:00. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> certainly those vigils are a place where

paul delacruz megia. adrienne [ indiscernible ].audio-cut out] >> they are having technical difficulties. mayor sam liccardo was in the middle of reading the names. the victims of the vta shooting yesterday. it looks like they made the repairs. >> josc michael reed lincoln. lars lane. abdi aleman done. alex fritsch. please join us in a moment of silence. i would like to introduce latoya howard. in addition to performing word artist. was also a bus driver for nine years here in the bay area. welcome latoya. >> can you hear me clear out there? okay. we have been sinking so fast into this everlasting current. we have a generation yet. lives are being struck. perseverance through the storms. can anybody hear me? it is an impeachment. humility. ask questions and love dialogue. humility assumes. humility would rather be open and vulnerable. and independent. humility believes what the gospel says about our desperate need for god. christ is the mediator full of hospitality. the one who knew you and me. this is what i call our reality. so i

of people gathered in mountain house near tracy where the family lives, paul megia was married and had three children. the family had been planning to visit disney land is weekend. >>> you can support the families of the victims in this tragedy, head to abc7 news.com/sake action , we have information on how to donate directly to the families impacted by the tragedy. >>> keeping care of your health as we emerge from the pandemic is one key way that we are working to build a better bay area. that is now coming to a crossroads with the change in workplace as more of us head back into the office. this morning we are getting a first look at california's proposed safety rules to protect employees from covid at work, abc7 news reporter and member of our abc7 news vaccine team loose pain you take you through the changes. >> reporter: cal osha standards board released a draft of workplace rules giving us more insight as to what the future workplace could look like. >> there seems to be a significant overreach at times. >> reporter: under these guidelines employees who are vaccinated would not n

of heroism were brought to light including how singh called his co-workers to tell them to hide and megia reportedly told a co- worker she could hide in his office before he was shot and killed. >> god took my best friend and husband too soon and i am wishing i can give him one last hug and tell him how much i love you. >> my dad was a selfless man. as a veteran, i know my dad wouldn't run from the danger. >> when he heard the shots, when he saw that everybody's life is in danger, first reaction was to tell other people. >> yesterday he wasn't even supposed to go to work. he was supposed to work at home. >> never leave home without giving your loved one a kiss good-bye. because that was the last i got. >> heart breaking. a memorial for the victims outside city hall has exploded in size with signs, flowers, and pictures. candles were also burning late into last night. many have been asking how to reach out and help the shooting victims' families. we have all the information on the kpix.com. >>> at the white house, flags at half staff in the wake of the massacre. some lawmakers are adamant

paul megia's wife said of her husband, "i'll miss having my best friend by my side. i love you always. jose hernandez's father says his son was filled with joy. >> he was just a good person really he was just a good person. >> reporter: taptej singh, a husband and father of two, warned others the gunman was coming before he lost his own life >> in his last moments he was still looking out for others, making phone calls to his friends saying there's an active shooter, do not come in. >> reporter: tonight a final act of heroism in the face of so much terror. >> miguel, it appears the gunman didn't have much in the way of a criminal history and had worked at that yard for some time >> reporter: yeah, lester he worked here for over a decade. he was making a comfortable living, over $100,000 a year tonight there is no clear reason why he suddenly snapped lester >> miguel almaguer tonight in san jose. thank you. >>> this evening the kind of holiday travel crush we haven't seen in well over a year. americans as you can see around me are feeling more confident. with over 165

like 42-year-old paul megia who worked as an assistant superintendent.lose friend of 15 years devastated. >> it's a nightmare. >> reporter: 36-year-old light rail operator, taptejdeep singh was killed trying to alert co-workers about the shooter. he leaves behind a wife and two young children. his family in anguish as i spoke to his brother. >> his instinct was to help others and that's what he did and i'm just glad, you know, other people were saved because of it. >> reporter: and alex fritch, a substation maintainer was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. he later died holding the hand of his wife of 20 years. terra. >> alex was really fighting hard. he didn't want to go anywhere and i didn't want him to go. >> reporter: it's so hard to imagine. another indication this tragedy could have been even worse, authorities have recovered more guns and ammunition at the shooter's home as well as molotov cocktails. cecilia. >> truly tragic, okay, kaylee, thank you so much. >>> we turn to washington where the battle over creating that commission to inv

we mentioned paul megia, 42 years old. we spoke with one of his cousins.said paul would do anything for his kids. he was the most loving person in the family. those are the stories we hear. it might bring a tear to your eye, but it brings a smile to your face. we celebrate and remember these people. we will be back in a few minutes with interviews and a lot more information from the vigil. we will talk about some of the speakers that are about to take the stage. back to you. >> thank you so much. we will honor the victims. we are learning more about the investigation. new information coming out today about the worse mass shooting in bay area history. >> there were three semiautomatic handguns recovered at the scene. the sheriff says about 39 rounds were fired. some at point-blank range. the shooter was scheduled for a hearing on the day of the shooting. that's a hearing that's held when an employee faces the possibility of serious discipline or termination from work. the sheriff told us some of the officers who respond ready now among those struggling to p

moments of heroism were brought to life including how singh called co- workers to tell them to hide and megiaeportedly told a co- worker she could hide in his office before he was ultimately shot and killed. >> god took my best friend, husband too soon and i am wishing i could give him one lst hug and tell him how much i love you. >> never leave home without giving your loved one a kiss good-bye. that was the last i got. >> a memorial for the victims outside city hall has grown in size with signs, flowers, pictures of the victims. candles burned late into the night. >> a lot of people have been asking how to reach out to help the victims. we have all that in our vta stories on kpix.com. >>> today, the man accused of attacking two asian americans in san francisco will appear in court. 39-year-old jenkins assaulted the 75-year-old and 83-year-old vietnamese man. he fought back after being attacked hitting jenkins with a stick. the judge will consider request for release and if granted, under what conditions. >>> a three alarm fire at an energy plant in hayward forced people in one mile radius t

they were off to hawaii in a couple weeks. 42-year-old paul megia had three kids and lived with his wife and parents in mountain house near tracey and went to mount pleasant high school in san jose and mission college. >>> 49-year-old timothy romo also went to mission college. his family said he just simply adored his daughter. 40-year-old michael rudometkin was a childhood friend of city councilman and were planning a golf outing in a couple weeks. he went to cupertino high school and leaves behind his wife and parents. 36-year-old taptejdeep singh leaves behind a wife and two young children. his family says he was trying to warn colleagues there was a shooter when he, himself, was gunned down. at the vigil last night, you know it is remarkable here, we do so many of these, unfortunately, but we asked sometimes why do we do these? they are very helpful. seeing everyone there is a way to listen to people, talk to people, and they said, the union boss right here, right before the vigil he gathered 100 or 200 union members and said we are all we have. let's do this together and share and g

paul megia was an assistant superintendent at v.t.a.lways willing to help employees and accept tasks with a smile, his colleague said. paul was 42 years old. timothy romo was described as caring and selfless, and he had endless jokes. the 49-year-old husband, father, and grandfather worked at v.t.a. for more than two decades. lars lane was the first to help his neighbor, and he loved his family fiercely, his son said. according to local news outlets, lars would have turned 64 this weekend. abdolvahab alaghmandan worked for v.t.a. for two decades. he often worked overtime and throughout the pandemic. he was 63 years old. adrian balleza was a light rail operator at v.t.a. he was a loving family man, who still had so much to give, his family said. adrian was 29 years old. still to come on the newshour: why the mega-drought is dangerous for the western u.s. how qanon is dividing families. art inspired by the tulsa massacre, 100 years later. and, much more. today's move by the g.o.p. to block an investigation into the capitol insurrection. f

36-year-old singh, 35-year-old jose hernandez, 40- year-old michael rudometkin, 42- year-old paul megiard, romo, 63-year-old alaghmandan, 63- year-old lars lane, 49-year-old alex fritch. many victims were long time vta employees. we have live team coverage all morning. anne makovec on the investigation at the suspect's home, justin andrews with the search for clues at the rail yard. >> gianna on the rail service but we begin with emily turner who is live at the vigil remembering the victims. >> reporter: it s en almost exactly 24 hours since those first shots rang out. it is a solemn morning still in san jose. there is a growing memorial outside of city hall where you see there are candles, hearts with names of the victims although it is not yet updated to show nine of them, as well as flowers. flags here are also at half staff. we are learning more about the victims including for the final moments. for singh the moments were heroic. it was his second day back to work after the pandemic had him working from home. singh's family says they heard from his co-workers that he pushed them int

their names are paul delacruz megia, taptejdeep singh, adrian balleza, jose dejesus hernandez iii, timothy michael romo, michael joseph rudometkin, abdolvahab alaghmandan, lars kepler lane, and alex ward fritch. california governor gavin newsom spoke wednesday from san jose. >> it begs the damn question, what the hel is goingl on in mecca? when are we going to put down their arms, literally, and figuratively? amy: the gun violence archive reported san jose was the 232nd mass shooting in the u.s. this year. that's 100 more mass shootings than were recorded by this time in 2020. will over a mass shooting a day. president biden urged congress to take immediate action to pass stricter gun control laws. he said in a statement -- "i have the solemn duty yet again of ordering the flag to be lowered at half- staff, just weeks after doing so following the mass shootings at spas in and around atlanta, in a grocery store in boulder, colorado, at a home in rock hill, south carolina, and at a fedex facility in indianapolis, indiana." on capitol hill, senators held a hearing for david chipman, president

chris elder is thinking paul megia one last time for being there when he needed him most. >> you cando what you need to do. i will take care of it here. that is the person that he was all the time. adrian balleza, just last week , he brought in muffins that he was so proud that he had picked himself. he was cutting them in half so he could share them with everybody. >> reporter: several bay area councilmembers and the sikh unity calling for an end to gun violence according to gun violence archives. wednesdays mass shooting was the 18th mass shooting in california this year. >> call our congress people. call them so we can make sure that this has got to stop. take action. >> reporter: change was helping the family heel, these stories of heroism. >> the woman told me that he pushed her in that room and closed the door. he was going to save you people. >> reporter: for the first time, hearing from two of taptejdeep singh 's coworkers who say they called him at 6:30 6 am, urging them to escape. >> you guys need to go hide right now. run. then they asked him where he was and he said i am

. >> reporter: megia is also remembered by his own boss, the two shared an office. >> sometimes my demandsld be unreasonable, but paul always accepted with a smile, always willing to help his employees. >> reporter: at the crime scene, santa clara county sheriff, laura smith, detailed how shooter, sam cassidy, had three weapons, fired dozens of rounds and had ammunition for more, but killed himself as law enforcement rest in. >> some of us get training on what to do when there is an active shooter event, but not about the aftermath. an vta is urging its traumatized workforce to reach out. >> if today or in the coming days you need to stop, talk with a coworker, take some quiet time, do it. >> reporter: into the many vta writers riders, please remember to demonstrate kindness and compassion to the men and women who keep it running. >> reporter: behind each name, >> he is just that kind of person that is real friendly, real outgoing. >> reporter: he lives across the street from overhead line worker tim romo and the two are friends, sharing interests, helping each other on projects, shouting

chris alvarez thanking paul megia for being there one last time. >> you take care of what you need to just last week he had brought in muffins that he was so proud that he had baked himself and he was cutting them in half so that he could share them with everybody. >> reporter: several bay area council members and the sikh community calling for an end to gun violence. according to gun violence archives, wednesday's mass shooting was the 18th mass shooting in california this year. >> call our congress people. call them and our senators so that we can make sure that this has got to stop and take action. >> reporter: as they wait for change, what's helping the families heal are these stories of heroism. >> the woman told me that he pushed her in that room and closed the door. he was going to save the other people. >> reporter: tonight for the first time we're hearing from two of taptejdeep's co-workers who say he called them at 6:36 a.m. urging them to escape, a shooter approached them. >> you guys need to go hide right now, run and then we asked him where h■e as and he said i'm on the t

paul megia was a superintendent and always willing to help employees and accept tasks with a smile.42 years old. timothy romo was described as caring and selfless, and had endless jokes. the 49-year-old husband, father, and grandfather worked there for more than two decades. lars lane was the first to help his neighbor, and loved his family fiercely. according to local news outlets, he would have turned 64 this weekend. abdolvahab alaghmandan worked there for two decades. he often worked overtime and through the pandemic treaty was 63 years old. adrian balleza was a light rail operator. he was a loving family man who still had so much to give, his family said. adrian was 29 years old. >> nine souls lost. still to come, why the mega drought is dangerous for the western u.s.. how qanon is dividing families. art inspired by the tulsa massacre 100 years later, and much more. >> we return to our lead story. the move by the gop to block an investigation into the insurrection. former new jersey governor tom kane, a republican himself, was chairman of the independent bipartisan 9/11 commiss

paul megia, his family was here. his wife said he was full of life, jokes and energy.s is his father, his son and his wife. >> he's a good father and a good son and my best friend. we love you. >> i won't know how to do all these activities like snowboarding, wakeboarding, i won't know how to do all this without him. >> god took my best friend and husband too soon and i'm wishing i could give him a hug one last time and tell him how much i love him. >> reporter: now, that family said something that other families also echoed, that they never thought they would find themselves in this situation trying to talk about their loved one in a public setting, at a public vigil and memorial. other families spoke of not knowing how to process what happened on wednesday. we'll share more of those family stories through the morning. if you are moved to help these families heal and move forward, we have a link to resources at nbcbayarea.com. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> all right, kris, thank you. >>> we spoke with the father of jose hernandez as well. he says he's still in

paul megia's father talked about when they worked at the vta together. >> he would be the light rail,ould be on the bus. we would see each other and we'd wave again. it was happy times. but yesterday was the saddest moment of my life. >> my nephew and my niece, they're not going to have a father. they're 3 and 1. no matter how much i love them, no matter how much everybody else loves them, they're going to ask where their father is. >> almost every time i talked to my dad, he'd always say who's my favorite little girl, and i would always reply, i'm your only little girl. >> and i'm wishing i could give him one last hug and tell him how much i love him. >> reporter: the other families also spoke of not knowing how to process what happened on wednesday. if you are moved to help these families try to make sense or move forward, make their lives just a little bit easier, we do have resources for you on our website, nbcbayarea.com. i also put it up on my social pages. you can find that there. in san jose, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> we can come together as a community to support e

hero system were brought to light including how singh called co-workers to tell them to hide and how megiaeportedly told a co-worker she could hide in his office before he was ultimately shot and killed. >> god took my best friend too soon and i am wishing i can give him one last hug and tell him how much i love you. >> never leave home without giving your loved one a kiss good-bye. that was the last i got. >> a memorial for the victims outside city hall has grown in size with signs, flowers, pictures of the victims. candles also burned late into the night. many have been asking how to reach out and help the shooting victims and their families. we have all the information in our vta stories on kpix.com. >>> today, the man accused of attacking two asian americans in san francisco is going to appear in court. 39-year-old jenkins assaulted a 75-year-old and 83-year-old vietnamese man in march. one fought back after being attacked hitting jenkins with a stick. today the judge will consider the defense's request for his release and, if granted, under what conditions. >>> new, a three alarm fire

this is paul delacruz megia, taptejdeep singh, and michael joseph rudometkin.has been identified as alex ward fritch who died last night . other victims are adrian balleza, jose dejesus hernandez

superintendents who has worked here for 20 years, worked closely with some of the victims, for example, paul megia said he always had a smile, was always asking people how to help. you are looking at some of the employees being walked across the street just yesterday in the aftermath of the shooting. i want to have you guys listen to some of what we heard in the press conference, really the emotion about what they're going through in losing their co-workers. let's listen. >> we get up every morning, safe in the belief that when we go to work that we would come home to our family and our loved ones. that did not happen for abdolvahab, adrian, alex, josÉ, lars, michael, paul, taptejdeep and timothy. some of us get training on what to do when there's an active shooter event, but not about the aftermath and yesterday i was up at the family assistance center and i saw that aftermath and i saw the immense pain in the faces of the families. >> reporter: and she says she also heard the screams and the cries when those families unfortunately learned that their loved ones were gone. geoff, i should mention