Transit authority settles for $8 million with families of San Jose railyard mass shooting victims
SAN JOSE — Twenty-six families, including five children, will receive $8 million in compensation from San Jose’s transit agency over the deaths of three people killed on July 19, 2015, when a man walked into a transit agency’s train yard and opened fire.
The families, who are seeking to obtain compensation for the loss of their loved ones, could receive more if the court allows any of the three victims involved in the shooting to be a “tort victim” to receive compensation.
The compensation will be split among the three families, but the exact amount is not clear. The families are working with their counsel to determine the amount.
The city said it will pay the compensation to the victims’ families.
The settlement also includes $25.5 million on a claims review and investigation by the city that resulted in the findings that San Jose police officers failed to stop the suspect, who had an extensive criminal record, that contributed to the shooting.
Settling into a transit headquarters on the San Jose railyard, a man brandishing a rifle killed three people before he was shot by police, who then killed him.
After the incident, the Transportation Safety Board concluded that police failed to stop the suspect before he could kill others, in addition to failing to respond immediately to 911 reports of shots fired.
Under the settlement, the remaining $2 million will be held in an escrow account to be used in the event of a further shooting.
The victims were identified as transit agency employee Jose Ines Garcia, 28, of Milpitas; Jose Luis Sanchez, 35, of Campbell; and Jaime Briseno, 31, of Concord.
“While the city will not be liable for the actions of its officers, neither will it be liable for the actions of a private citizen,” city attorney Michael Feuer said. “It is unfortunate that the city is exposed to liability in this case. The actions of the police and the
