Hundreds Gather in Morgan Hill at Vigil Honoring Ford Dealership Shooting Victims
MORGAN HILL (KPIX) -- Two days after the fatal Ford store shooting in Morgan Hill, hundreds gathered Thursday night to remember the two victims.
"We're praying for them, for God's peace to be with them," said Chantel Warren who lives near the dealership.
On Tuesday at 6:03 p.m., Steven Leet shot and killed his supervisor Xavier Souto.
Souto had fired him two hours prior but Morgan Hill police said Leet continued to linger at his work station before he ended up in a back office with Souto and Souto's supervisor, Brian Light.
Investigators said Leet shot Souto at close range in the head, then turned the gun on Light when he tried to disarm Leet. In a news conference Wednesday, police said Light's actions were heroic as it gave customers and employees the seconds they needed to run out of the Ford store to safety.
Leet then walked out of the business to a parking lot and sat on a curb. As the first officers arrived on scene they heard a single gunshot. Leet had taken his own life.
On Thursday, the victims' families and friends attended the candlelight vigil but did not want to speak publicly.
They were surrounded by community members, law enforcement and city leaders who joined in their moment of grief at the Morgan Hill Amphitheatre.
"The husband goes off to work, says, 'I'll see you tonight' and then something like this happens," said Kathy Delacruz. "You just never know what's going to happen."
Delacruz attended the vigil to support the victims' families, she said but she also attended because the tragic event will impact her own family forever. Her grandson, she said, works at the Ford store, knew the victims and the shooter and was at work on Tuesday.
"He heard the gunshots and the employees all ran next door to the hotel," she said.
Jacob Owens, a Ford store employee, said the shooting was unexpected. He attended the vigil and said he appreciated the support from the community.
"It's nice that it's not just coworkers or people who knew them, it's nice that it's a lot of the community," Owens said.
Clyde Pineda knew Souto for several years. Their sons went to the same martial arts studio.
"I was hoping it wasn't him," Pineda said. "Unfortunately, we found out his name came up it was like, 'wow'"
He said he came out to the vigil to support Souto's family and to remember two men who died suddenly and tragically.
"Definitely a gentle giant, just a family man," he said "It's just definitely not, definitely not real."
The Ford store opened Thursday for the first time since the shooting but some employees chose to stay home. Grief counselors were on hand.
