UPDATE 2 - At least 8 dead in California shooting; suspect down

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT

By Servet Gunerigok and Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A gunman opened fire at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail maintenance yard in San Jose, California early Wednesday, killing at least eight people.

Russell Davis, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, said the suspect and police "did not exchange gunfire" and that officials have initially assessed that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities are still attempting to discern what happened before they responded to multiple calls of shots fired at the maintenance yard.

A bomb sniffing dog detected signs of explosives at the scene and a bomb squad has been dispatched to investigate and clear any potential explosive ordinance, according to Davis, who said it will "take a long time” to render the scene safe.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said when officers arrived at the scene, there was ongoing shooting and victims had been shot in two separate buildings.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect other than to say that he was an employee at the train yard.

California Governor Gavin Newsom assailed what he called a "numbness" that has formed over repeated mass shootings in the US, saying "this happens over, and over, and over again. Rinse and repeat."

"Here we are in the United States of America, where we're experiencing something that is not experienced anywhere else in the world," he said. "It begs the **** question: 'What the hell is going on in the United States of America? What the hell is wrong with us? And when are we going to come to grips with this?'"

KTVU, a Fox affiliate television channel in Oakland, interviewed the son of a VTA employee who said the shooting occurred during a union meeting.

*Michael Hernandez contributed to this report