1 THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN JULY 5, 2019 JULY 5, 2019 SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE Funky INSIDE THIS ISSUE feathered Ostrich farm opens to the public friends GilroyGilroy Ostrich Ostrich Farm Farm becoming becoming educationaleducational destination destination A supplement to the Gilroy Hill Times Dispatch & Morgan A supplement to the Gilroy Hill Times Dispatch & Morgan P8 | P14 | P19 CALENDARCALENDAR OF OF EVENTS EVENTS P8 | WILDFIRE WILDFIRE PREPARATION PREPARATION P14 | REAL REAL ESTATE ESTATE P19 MANY PERSPECTIVES ON SHOOTING P4 | ESPN HONORS MENDEZ P12 | VALENCIA IS WORLD CHAMP P14 THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY JULY 5, 2019 SAN BENITO MAGAZINE Sticking INSIDE THIS ISSUE their Ostrich farm opens to the public neck out Ostrich farm debuts to the community A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance Free A supplement to the Hollister CALENDAR OF EVENTS P8 | WILDFIRE PREPARATION P14 | REAL ESTATE P19 $1 • Friday, July 5, 2019 • Vol. 126, No. 27 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894 Tragedy unites community SHOOTING VICTIMS Light and Souto died more than $115,000 as of SOUTO, LIGHT when one of their own col- 3pm July 1. MORE INSIDE REMEMBERED leagues shot them in a work- Light was The Ford place dispute at The Ford Store's parts and service • Ford Store Jaqueline McCool and Store on Condit Road. director. Souto was the deal- reopens P4 Michael Moore Less than 24 hours after ership's parts manager. the shooting, staff at the Ford Morgan Hill police • Workplace violence Brian Light was hailed as a Store set up a fundraising revealed on June 26 that and high stress P4 hero who saved lives before website for the families of Light, 59, of San Jose, tack- • Help is Eliason Robert losing his own when a gun- Light and Souto. As a testa- led Leet immediately available P6 man opened fire at The Ford ment to the impact the trag- after Leet pulled out a .38 • Public Store Morgan Hill June 25. edy has had on the region, revolver and shot Souto at comments P6 Xavier Souto was known as and the love and respect that point-blank range at about IN MEMORY Visitors to The Ford Store Morgan a friendly, outgoing family Light and Souto commanded 6pm June 25, killing him • Hundreds Hill in the days after the June 25 shooting have left man who was deeply loved as before their deaths, the site attend vigil P10 flowers and candles in front of the auto dealership Head Shooting a father, husband and son. at gofundme.com had raised ➝ Ford Store , 2 in memory of victims Xavier Souto and Brian Light. Shooting details unfold WORKPLACE VIOLENCE officials and community mem- who rarely welcomed visitors LEAVES THREE DEAD AT bers continue to search for the to his home. THE FORD STORE words to console their neigh- Leet, who had worked at bors and constituents in the The Ford Store Morgan Hill Michael Moore aftermath of the bloodiest inci- for about eight years, had no Editor dent of workplace violence in criminal history. He owned More than a week after a shoot- the city's history. “well over a dozen firearms,” ing at The Ford Store Morgan Steven Leet, 60, who shot including two he brought into Hill left three of the auto deal- Brian Light and Xavier Souto the Condit Road auto dealer- ership’s employees dead, police to death before killing himself, ship the evening of June 25, continue to search for any re- was, by all known accounts, according to police. He had maining clues to the gunman’s a quiet individual who didn’t acquired all of the firearms motive. They said they are con- interact much with those legally, they said. Eliason Robert vinced the shooter acted with- around him, according to In the days after the June out premeditation after he was police. Morgan Hill Police Sgt. 25 tragedy, Morgan Hill police fired from his job a few hours Bill Norman said Leet's neigh- served search warrants on earlier on June 25. bors on Russo Drive in San HELPING HAND Residents mourning the June 25 Ford Store shooting help each At the same time, public Jose described him as a loner ➝ Shooting , 8 other light candles at a June 27 vigil in support of the victims and their families. Robert Eliason Robert SUPPORT Attendees of a June 27 vigil at the downtown amphitheater in honor of the Ford Store shooting victims encouraged support for one another in the aftermath of the tragedy. Experience Santa Cruz Cannabis New State-of-the-Art Location Original Location 533 Ocean St. • Santa Cruz 3600 Soquel Ave. • Santa Cruz 8am – 9pm Daily 8am – 10pm Daily Valid ID Required | All 21+ Welcome | 18+ Medical Licenses: A-10-17-0000003-TEMP • A-10-17-0000002-TEMP 2 2 MORGAN HILL TIMES JULY 5, 2019 Submitted File photo LOVED HIS FAMILY Xavier Souto, far left, is pictured HERO Brian Light is pictured (right) in a March 2019 photo celebrating the Ford Store with family members in a May 2019 photo Morgan Hill’s donation of a 2016 Ford Focus to the automotive department at he shared on his Facebook page. Gilroy High School. Light was the Ford Store’s parts and service director. Victims’ fund aims for $500K ➝ Ford Store , 1 Police Sgt. Bill Norman "Xavier leaves behind a was a mentor to Souto and added that video surveil- wife and two sons," said countless other colleagues instantly. Light briefly lance from The Ford Store Swing. "Xavier was known through the years. GOFUNDME FOR VICTIMS struggled with the gun- "clearly" shows customers for his love of his fam- "He was known for his The web page set up by employees of The Ford man before he was shot and employees fleeing the ily, both immediate and mentoring ability, and for Store to raise funds for the families of Brian Light several times himself. This building before the gunman extended family, and for his love of helping oth- and Xavier Souto can be found at https://www. struggle allowed about 35 exited the office where he the love of his work." ers," Swing said at the gofundme.com/f/soutoandlightmemorialpage. customers and colleagues shot Light and Souto. "With- The GoFundMe memo- June 26 press conference The page is titled “Xavier Souto and Brian Light inside The Ford Store the out that (struggle), he would rial page for the victims at Morgan Hill police sta- Memorial Fund.” time they needed to run have been right on top of a lot states that Souto was the tion. "That's why he was to safety as gunshots rang of people," Norman said. main provider for his family. brought to The Ford out in the building, Police Souto, 38, also of San Light started working Store—because he wanted Manager and Vice President Tim Paulus said in a state- Chief David Swing said. Jose, had worked at the at The Ford Store Mor- to train the next gener- Ashley Valletta. The fund- ment, "We are devastated "Brian's actions here are auto dealership since gan Hill in 2018. He was ation, because he found raising goal is $500,000. by this terrible loss. Thank nothing short of heroic," 2012, Swing said. The recruited to work there true purpose in his work." The Ford Store was you to the Morgan Hill Swing said. "It is likely that family man started out as after a career of more The GoFundMe memo- closed June 26, but community, (which) has through those actions, he a parts counter clerk and than 30 years in the auto- rial page for Souto and Light reopened the following day. come together with us prevented us having addi- was later promoted to his mobile industry. The was started by The Ford The morning of June during this extremely dif- tional victims at the scene." most recent position. gofundme page says Light Store Morgan Hill General 26, dealership President ficult time." 4 Open 4th of July 4 10am to 5 pm MORGAN HILL TIMES JULY 5, 2019 Some see link between SINCE high stress, violence 1927 COMMUNITY various issues, including Different a case of a disgruntled Bourbon EXPRESSES perspectives on Try Bonanza employee who was stalk- incident THOUGHTS ing his former boss. 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