"Martin Garcia was cooking dinner Friday night when two terrified girls rang the doorbell. Confused but wanting to help, he let them in. And the people behind them. And the ones behind them. Before long, a steady stream of about 50 people were sheltering at the family's house near Westfield Valley Fair. He had no idea there just had been a shooting that injured three people."
"Over the next five hours, the family kept people as calm as they could as they waited for rides since they couldn't get their cars out of the mall garage. They put on Christmas music and handed out Oreo cookies, tangerines and milk. They turned off the news and put on KPop Demon Hunters for the kids to watch. After 10 p.m., with about 15 people still in the house, they ordered pizza."
"We had a gamut of diverse people in the house. Every culture you could think of was here, Irene Garcia said, adding that the house became a reunification spot for families. One father cried tears of gratitude when he picked up his daughter, she said, thanking the family for giving her shelter. I would hope somebody would do that for my kids, Irene Garcia said."
Martin Garcia opened his home after two terrified girls rang his doorbell, and a rapid stream of roughly 50 people sought shelter at the family's San Jose house near Westfield Valley Fair. The family was initially unaware that a shooting had injured three people. Martin called his wife Irene, who arrived as panicked patrons crouched and froze. Over five hours the family calmed and hosted people who could not retrieve cars from the mall garage, offering Christmas music, Oreo cookies, tangerines, milk and entertainment for children. They ordered pizza late at night, became a reunification spot, and stayed in touch with many they sheltered.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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