San Jose shooting suspect set 'device' to ignite fire at home to 'coincide' with workplace massacre: sheriff

As new details emerge a day after the San Jose shooting that ultimately claimed the lives of nine victims, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith described Thursday morning how deputies and police officers arrived at the light rail facility within moments of the first 911 calls coming through. 

Smith said the call came out about the shots fired at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) at 6:34 a.m. Wednesday, and a fire at the suspected gunman’s home eight miles away was reported at 6:37 a.m. so "he must have had some way to set it or someone else to do it." 

"What we’re operating under now, and I’m not sure this isn’t going to change, is that he set some kind of device to go off at a certain time probably to coincide with his shooting," Smith said during an appearance Thursday morning on NBC's "Today."

She clarified that as of right now investigators do not believe there is more than one suspect. Smith also offered an explanation as to how the gunman managed to fatally shoot nine people so quickly, as the headquarters for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is located across from the VTA facility.

"I think he was very deliberate, very fast. He knew where employees would be," Smith said. There were deceased in two separate buildings, which "we believe he went from building to building," she added.