Explosive device found at home of San Jose councilwoman
SAN JOSE (KPIX) — San Jose police are stepping up patrols around one city councilmember's neighborhood. It comes after a home-made explosive device was found in front of her home around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. A week ogo, one of Dev Davis' campaign signs was blown up by a firecracker in a neighbor's yard.
"It should be safe to be an elected official. It is scary if it was targeted," said Davis.
San Jose City Councilmember Dev Davis and her family had to evacuate from her Willow Glen home Tuesday morning after a neighbor found a suspicious device in the street in front of her house.
"About 5-6 inches long. We assumed it was a bomb because it was wrapped with tape, and had batteries and a fuse and it looked like the fuse was lit, but it didn't go off," says Richard Martinez. He found the device in the street as he was leaving for work.
San Jose Police called in the bomb squad to handle the device and their technicians determined it was a home-made explosive.
"These types of devices can cause a lot of damage. Serious injury, maybe even death, so yes it's always alarming to us, but even more since it's one of our elected officials here in the city," said Sgt. Christian Camarillo, spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department.
Detectives are still trying to figure out if this was random or targeted.
Davis says she can't think of a reason why someone would target her other than political differences of opinion.
"I want people to be civically involved and to come and do public comment at meetings and let me know how you feel that way and I think there's a way to be civil and to disagree in a civil manner and it doesn't have to be violent," says Davis.
Investigators are gathering home surveillance video from the area to help identify a possible suspect. They say when someone is arrested in connection with the case, the person will be facing some serious felony charges.