San Jose Man Fails To Return Home From Work, Wife Finds Him Shot Dead
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A San Jose woman who went out to look for her husband after he failed to return home from work found him shot dead inside his car near their home.
27-year-old Eric Mendoza, father of a six-month-old son, was identified as the victim by family members.
His uncle, Hector Hurtado, said when Mendoza didn't come home from work his wife went outside to look for him since they often have to move their cars at night for street sweeping.
Hurtado said she found their car in the area of Lanai Avenue and Danali Way around 5:00 a.m. and did not see him initially, later returned and saw his body slumped over inside the car.
When police officers arrived, they found Mendoza had been shot at least once, San Jose police Sgt. Heather Randol said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"He was probably shot while he was driving and then veered off down the street at a slow rate of speed and then hit the car in front of him," said police Lt. Jason Herr.
Mendoza's family said the killing was likely a case of mistaken identity and that he had no gang affiliations.
"And you left a son without a father now, it's not fair," said Hurtado, addressing his killer. "You made a big mistake, he's not something you thought he was and you should be ashamed of yourself."
There are no suspects in the killing, San Jose's 11th homicide of the year.
Police said they were reviewing surveillance footage and hoping they can track down Mendoza's killer. Investigators say it's possible Mendoza was shot two hours before his wife found him.