Statement on Gilroy Shooting
SCU President Kevin O’Brien, S.J., addresses Sunday’s tragic shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Dear Santa Clara University community:
We are profoundly saddened by the tragic shooting deaths and injuries at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday. For more than 40 years, the Festival has been a joyous community event in the Santa Clara Valley, of which we are an integral part. This tragedy hits especially close to home for our many faculty, students, staff, and alumni living in the Gilroy area.
As a community of faith, we pray for those who died and those injured in the shootings. We also honor the first responders who bravely acted to save lives.
Unfortunately, we are painfully familiar with the ongoing threat of gun violence in the public square. There are no simple solutions. That is why our work as a university is so important. Together, we can draw upon our resources to seek longer-term solutions to the complex and endemic problems that give rise to gun violence. Even as we do this hard work, we remember that our ordinary, daily acts of care and support for one another, especially for those most hurting and vulnerable, bring peace to a world that is often too divided and cruel.
Those who find themselves in need of counseling support are invited to reach out to Cowell Center for students, or the Employee Assistance Program for faculty and staff.
Sincerely,
Kevin F. O’Brien, S.J.
President