Pain and heartache is being felt in San Jose, where over a thousand people gathered for a vigil to honor the nine victims who were killed in Wednesday's mass shooting at the Valley Transportation Authority rail yard.
Outside San Jose City Hall on Thursday night, there were songs of remembrance, messages of hope and healing. Faith-based leaders, city officials, VTA colleagues and family and friends joined together to mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Joe Bennitti was friends with 35-year-old Jose Hernandez, a VTA worker who is now among the nine dead.
"You don't want to believe it, it's just utter devastation,” Bennitti said. “The hardest part was seeing his parents' reaction.”
The last he saw Hernandez was on Tuesday night for dinner. The next morning, Hernandez alerted his friends he had a flat tire. Shortly after, a gunman opened fire.
"We went to get tools to help him out and we couldn't get in to his garage, Bennitti said. “We kept calling him, but couldn't get in touch because of what was going on."
The tragedy is also hitting home for San Jose City Councilmember Raul Peralez, who told the crowd his childhood friend Michael Rodumetkin was killed.
"I sent him a text message that has not been returned and will never be returned," Peralez said.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo offered his condolences to the families and said the community needs to stick together to rise up against gun violence.
"We're here to share our love and our support for each other in the difficult days ahead," the mayor said. "We will heal and we will heal together."
John Courtney, who represents light rail workers with the Amalgamated Transit Union, said the victims are real people who should never be forgotten.
"These aren't just names to us,” he said. “These are people we know and we love that we have seen every single day of our working lives. It really hurts down to the very core of our souls," he said.
It was a somber moment for many others, who placed flowers and candles in front of a picture display of the victims' faces. Many were in tears still reeling from the grim reality of the worst mass shooting in Bay Area history.
