After 19-year-old Santino William Legan was identified as the suspect who opened fire on the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, social media users have found an alleged Instagram account from the shooter that may offer clues to his motive.
A report from CBS News identified Legan as the now-deceased suspect who police said broke through a fence to gain entrance to the family friendly festival in Northern California, one of the largest food festivals in the U.S. Details about the attack itself were not entirely clear, and the report noted that police were still investigating claims from witnesses that at least one other person was involved in the attack in some way.
“[Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee] said witnesses told authorities at least one other person may have been involved in the shooting but there was no confirmation of that or the role he or she might have played. He said a manhunt was underway for the possible accomplice,” the report noted.
As police hunt for the potential other suspect in the Gilroy shooting, people on the internet are searching for pictures of Santino William Legan and clues about his potential motive. Many circulated images from a now-deleted Instagram account in the name of the suspect. While it is not yet clear if the page belonged to the suspect, the images appeared to show a young man consumed with anger. One of the last posts from the account claimed to show the Gilroy Garlic Festival, though this has not been confirmed.
His profile removed by Instagram. Screen shots of his last posts. Scary stuff. Angry kid with access to guns. #gilroyshooting #Gilroy pic.twitter.com/plPJRJv2t3
— Greg Johnson (@TornadoGreg) July 29, 2019
There were further clues about Santino William Legan outside of his alleged Instagram page. A person with his name was featured in a 2017 story from the Gilroy Dispatch about families struggling to keep up with the costs of college tuition. The story featured a young man named Rosino Legan of Gilroy, with the story noting that he had a brother named Santino.
Rosino was featured as an amateur boxer with hopes of making the 2020 Summer Olympics, and in the story he seemed to take aim at the Trump administration for changes that made it harder to borrow money for college.
“Rising tuition and housing costs adversely affect students nationwide,” the story quoted Rosino Legan. “Now, President Trump revealed in his budget plan that they were going to eliminate subsidized student loans. Myself and millions of other students heavily rely on these loans.”
Police in Gilroy have not yet confirmed the identity of Santino William Legan as the suspect in the shooting, nor have they given any information about a potential motive.
