Waterloo Revival on Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting: ‘It’s Just So Devastating’
Just hours after Waterloo Revival performed at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California on Sunday afternoon (July 28), a gunman opened fire at the open-air food festival, killing three people and injuring several others. Now, the country duo -- who confirmed shortly after the shooting that they were safe -- are speaking out about the tragedy.
"Thank you to everyone who called and texted us," the band's George Birge says in a statement. "We had already left the festival at the time of the shooting, but watching videos on the news, I could see that it happened right where we were standing for meet and greets earlier in the day."
In an Instagram post, McKenna Faith -- another artist who performed at the festival earlier in the day -- adds that the horrific event that took place at the festival "still doesn't feel real."
"We had just finished our set when we heard the gunshots," she writes. "I can't believe this keeps happening. It's infuriating that these terrorists keep targeting events. My heart and prayers go out to the families that lost their loved ones ❤️ everyone in our crew is accounted for and safe. Thank you to the first responders, security and everyone working the festival for keeping us safe."
Waterloo Revival also expressed their support for those affected by the shooting: "It's just so devastating after being there, seeing all those happy people, and experiencing how amazing of a day it was supposed to be," they add. "Our hearts are with the victims of this tragic shooting. Please pray for the victims and their families."
Caylee Hammack and King Calaway also performed at the festival on the day of the shooting; both acts have checked in safe. The Gilroy Garlic Festival takes place at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, Calif., which is located about 30 miles south of San Jose. The for-charity event has been running since 1979 and is one of the largest food festivals in the United States.
The festival was wrapping up its third and final day on Sunday when 19-year-old Santino William Legan opened fire on the crowd. Three people -- 6-year-old Stephen Luciano Romero, a 13-year-old female and a male in his 20s -- were killed in the Sunday evening shooting. The gunman was also killed by police after he fired on three officers.
In addition to the three victims who have died, the number of people injured is at 12, according to San Jose Fire Capt. Mitchell Matlow, as of about 6AM local time (9AM ET) on Monday (July 29). Romero's paternal grandmother tells San Francisco's ABC 7 that his mother and maternal grandmother are among the injured.
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