Tuesday marks seven years since Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting

GILROY, Calif. (CBS, KYMA) - On July 28, 2019, a young boy, a teenage girl and a young man were killed in a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.

Over a dozen other people were wounded. The gunman opened fire on festival-goers near an inflatable slide, ultimately shooting 39 rounds.

The 19-year-old gunman bought his "AK-47-type" weapon legally in Nevada, Gilroy's police chief said. Police at the scene engaged him within a minute of the first shots being fired, firing 18 rounds and hitting the gunman several times.

Officials identified the victims as six-year-old Stephen Luciano Romero, 13-year-old Keyla Salazar, and 25-year-old Trevor Irby.

The shooting happened during the 41st annual gathering of the festival on its third and final day, shortly before closing.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival was an annual three-day event held at Christmas Hill Park. It was located about 30 miles southeast of San Jose and the Silicon Valley area. Gilroy is home to about 60,000 people, and the city is a major producer of garlic.

After its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a drive-through festival was held in 2021. In May 2022, the festival was canceled permanently.