On Aug. 23, sometime between 2:30pm and 3:05pm, a shooting occurred at Christmas Hill Park where a male was shot by an attempted assailant and had to be taken to a local trauma center in the hopes of saving his life.
The time 2:30pm is when students are typically let out of our local schools to go home; including Gilroy High School, Solorsano and a nearby elementary school, and many students have to walk near or through the park on their way to their homes.
Due to the combined efforts of our electeds, the Gilroy Administration, our Gilroy Police Department and Gilroy Unified School District, the system to protect our kids from harm worked in a very timely fashion.
The GPD reacted to the shooting and reported it to the dispatchers, who notified the GUSD who immediately locked down the schools and held the kids until the GPD issued the all clear message.
Thus, none of our kids were in serious jeopardy of losing their lives or getting injured.
Thanks to the efforts of our Chief of Police Pedro Espinoza, our GUSD Superintendent Debbie Flores, City Administrator Jimmy Forbis and his staff, and Mayor Marie Blankley and the members of our city council, the plans laid out for how to react to such an emergency “worked” and apparently it was flawless.
This was an awesome show of teamwork between all the parties and they deserve a pat on the back from our parents and the community overall.
Ronald L. Kirkish
Gilroy
