"This is a shock. This is unbelieveable," said Jesse Vetaluh, who is standing outside of a small café in Newbury Park, the Side Street Café. She and her son have been coming here for years.
They are here to pay their respects to Andrew Canepa, the owner of the popular local restaurant. He was one of those who died in Monday’s mass shooting outside of a Reno, Nevada hotel.
"He always had a big smile. I am shocked," said Canepa.
It was a tragic ending to the weekend for the group of men who were in Nevada for a bachelor party. Two of them were killed and two seriously wounded in Monday’s shooting.
They were about to return home when the gunman approached them in the valet area. Police say he tried to open fire, but his gun jammed. The group scattered, but the man fixed the gun and fired several shots, hitting four members of the group.
On Tuesday night, Sparks, Nevada Police officially identified the three men who died in the attack. There was Canepa, who was 33 years old. Also from Ventura County was Justin Aguila, who was also 33. A third person who was driving through the parking lot was also shot and killed during the attack. He was Angel Martinez, a 66-year-old Reno resident.
Police didn’t release the names of the two Ventura County man seriously injured in the shooting, but did say they are expecting them to fully recover.
They say there is no known connection between the gunman and the victims of the attack. He was shot, and seriously wounded by officers. He’s a 26-year-old man from the Reno area. Police are puzzled over what led to the attack. They say the man had no known history of mental health issues, and had no criminal history. And, they say there is no known connection between the gunman and the Grand Sierra Resort, the 2000 room hotel where the attack occurred.
At Canepa’s Side Street Café in Newbury Park, shocked customers showed up all day with flowers, and to sign a memorial poster in the front of the restaurant. Rick Bucaria owns East Wind Screen Print, which is next to the café. He’s known Canepa for years.
"It's really hard to comprehend. It's a shock," said Bucaria.
He said after the Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooting in Thousand Oaks in 2018, which killed a dozen people, they teamed up to sell t-shirts to help the victims families. "When we printed the shirt, Andrew was the guy I brought the shirts to, and he thought they were really great," said Bucaria. "I gave him a couple dozen shirts, and he started selling them. He put them on the counter, and they put it on Facebook, and I walked back in to get my lunch. Then, he goes, 'I can't even answer the phone, Everybody wants the shirts'. The next morning, I opened up the garage door, and there was a line all the way up the street. We sold $10,000 in shirts for the families of the Borderline tragedy."
Now, he says he’s ready to do t-shirts to help his friend’s family. Canepa had a young son.
"Every day, I'd see Andrew. He was always a great guy to be around. It was like family (in his restaurant). His slogan was 'This is where the locals meet.' It's been a shock."
