San Jose Police Investigate Fatal Shooting Near Site of VTA Massacre
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A man was shot and killed in San Jose's Civic Center area Thursday afternoon, police said.
The shooting was in the area of N. San Pedro Street and W. Hedding Avenue outside the county government center. The location is a half a block away from the VTA rail yard where 10 people died in a mass shooting last week.
Man down on San Pedro St. at Hedding in San Jose heavily armed officers all around gathering details. pic.twitter.com/0UEaWpZm4S
— Len Ramirez (@lenKPIX) June 3, 2021
The shooting was reported at about 1:50 p.m.
KPIX reporter Len Ramirez said the shooting happened around a parked Mercedes on San Pedro Street. At least two shots hit the car, and an unknown number struck a man who was standing on the other side, killing him on the sidewalk.
San Jose police originally said the victim had suffered a life-threatening injury and later updated that the victim, an unidentified male, had died of his injuries.
Ramirez tweeted that witnesses said a man was seen holding his hands up before several shots rang out before a possible suspect ran from the scene.
This is on the same block as the mass shooting at VTA. Witness describes seeing a man holding his hands up then several shots and a possible suspect running away. pic.twitter.com/HQ6ZCMQb5Y
— Len Ramirez (@lenKPIX) June 3, 2021
"I heard 'Bang! Bang! Bang!' and I parked my car. I thought maybe they were shooting at me," said witness Pooran Haq, who had just parked her car near the shooting scene.
Haq said two officers were on the scene immediately and held at least one man
for questioning.
"The guy he raised his hands up and he got on the ground," said Haq. "I saw two police and they were pointing at him."
"There are several people who we are talking to. They could be witnesses. We don't know their involvement yet," said San Jose Police Sgt. Christian Camarillo.
There was no word on a description of any suspects in the shooting. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, also a block away from the shooting location, said there was no current threat to public safety.
For the second week in a row, county workers were ordered to shelter in place because of an active shooter event.
Tiffany Vargas was standing at a nearby hot dog stand outside the main jail with her children when the shooting happened.
"I just heard gunshots and my kids were crying because they were scared. Next thing you know, we looked that way and they were covering someone on the ground," she said.
"To see this happening again, it's concerning. I immediately texted my wife to let her know that I was safe," said attorney Gerardo Vicuna, who was just coming out of court across the street from the shooting scene.
Several county workers were escorted to their cars by sheriff's deputies as they left work this afternoon out of an abundance of caution.
Police said a number of roads remained closed in the area as the investigation continued.