THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
JULY 5, 2019 JULY 5, 2019
A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Funky feathered friends
Ostrich farm opens to the public
SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Gilroy GilroyOstrich OstrichFarm Farmbecoming becoming educational educationaldestination destination
| WILDFIREPREPARATION | REALESTATE CALENDAR CALENDAROF OFEVENTS EVENTSP8 P8 | WILDFIRE PREPARATIONP14 P14 | REAL ESTATEP19 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
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
Sticking their neck out
Ostrich farm opens to the public
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Ostrich farm debuts to the community
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 SOUTO, LIGHT REMEMBERED Jaqueline McCool and Michael Moore
more than $115,000 as of 3pm July 1. Light was The Ford Store's parts and service director. Souto was the dealership's parts manager. Morgan Hill police revealed on June 26 that Light, 59, of San Jose, tackled Leet immediately after Leet pulled out a .38 revolver and shot Souto at point-blank range at about 6pm June 25, killing him
MORE INSIDE • Ford Store reopens P4 • Workplace violence and high stress P4 • Help is available P6 • Public comments P6 • Hundreds attend vigil P10
➝ Ford Store , 2
Robert Eliason
Brian Light was hailed as a hero who saved lives before losing his own when a gunman opened fire at The Ford Store Morgan Hill June 25. Xavier Souto was known as a friendly, outgoing family man who was deeply loved as a father, husband and son.
Light and Souto died when one of their own colleagues shot them in a workplace dispute at The Ford Store on Condit Road. Less than 24 hours after the shooting, staff at the Ford Store set up a fundraising website for the families of Light and Souto. As a testament to the impact the tragedy has had on the region, and the love and respect that Light and Souto commanded before their deaths, the site at gofundme.com had raised
IN MEMORY Visitors to The Ford Store Morgan Hill in the days after the June 25 shooting have left flowers and candles in front of the auto dealership in memory of victims Xavier Souto and Brian Light.
Shooting details unfold WORKPLACE VIOLENCE LEAVES THREE DEAD AT THE FORD STORE Michael Moore Editor
who rarely welcomed visitors to his home. Leet, who had worked at The Ford Store Morgan Hill for about eight years, had no criminal history. He owned “well over a dozen firearms,” including two he brought into the Condit Road auto dealership the evening of June 25, according to police. He had acquired all of the firearms legally, they said. In the days after the June 25 tragedy, Morgan Hill police served search warrants on ➝ Shooting , 8
Robert Eliason
More than a week after a shooting at The Ford Store Morgan Hill left three of the auto dealership’s employees dead, police continue to search for any remaining clues to the gunman’s motive. They said they are convinced the shooter acted without premeditation after he was fired from his job a few hours earlier on June 25. At the same time, public
officials and community members continue to search for the words to console their neighbors and constituents in the aftermath of the bloodiest incident of workplace violence in the city's history. Steven Leet, 60, who shot Brian Light and Xavier Souto to death before killing himself, was, by all known accounts, a quiet individual who didn’t interact much with those around him, according to police. Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Bill Norman said Leet's neighbors on Russo Drive in San Jose described him as a loner
HELPING HAND Residents mourning the June 25 Ford Store shooting help each
other light candles at a June 27 vigil in support of the victims and their families.
Robert Eliason
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.
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