'His family is broken right now;' Safeway shooting victim identified; gunman at large
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Friends created a makeshift memorial on the sidewalk of a San Jose Safeway Monday as homicide detectives searched for clues to identify the gunman and a possible motive in Sunday's deadly shooting.
"It's just shocking to see essentially a murder go down in my neighborhood, I can walk right across the street here and it's just horrifying to hear that someone was killed here," said Frank Nunley, a San Jose resident who lives nearby. "This is my store here, I've been coming here now for about 20 years."
The shooting happened inside the Safeway location in the Willow Glen neighborhood early Sunday morning. Investigators were reviewing in-store surveillance video, but during a Monday press briefing admitted there were few clues in the case.
"The fact of the matter remains only two people knew why this homicide happened," San Jose police spokesman Officer Steve Aponte told reporters. "One of those persons is being grieved and mourned by his family and the other is not in custody."
Family members and Safeway have identified the shooting victim as 24-year-old Manuel Isaac Huizar Cornejo.
Jeanette Salceda, a family friend, has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for Cornejo's funeral expenses. It quickly raised more than $20,000.
"He was always smiling and laughing and overall one of the sweetest people you would meet," she posted. "He was the baby of the family and his family is broken right now."
Customers showed up Monday morning hoping to get groceries, only to be turned away as the store remained closed until the afternoon. They say the headlines of gun violence across the country weigh on them as they go about their day in their neighborhood.
"It's really upsetting, you know? This is like my stomping grounds kind of, and to hear that someone had that much anger towards an employee who is probably just trying to support their family is really upsetting," said Meria Rothrock, a San Jose resident who also lives near the store. "I mean ever since like the school shooting, I think everyone's been on edge about it. I can't stop what I'm doing."
Safeway also issued a statement.
"Safeway is mourning the tragic loss of Manny Huizar. We're deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our hearts are heavy, and our thoughts are with Manny's family. We are sending our deepest and heartfelt condolences to them. As our company grieves, we will continue to work with the San Jose Police Department to assist them in every possible way as they investigate this terrible crime."
Investigators said officers responded to the 1500 block of Hamilton Avenue on a call of a person shot at approximately 3:35 a.m. Sunday.
When they arrived, they discovered a wounded employee inside the Safeway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Someone else was so on edge that they had to take a more violent edge. It's kind of not what I want for my community, but I have hopes," Rothrock said outside the store on Monday.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that the male suspect and the victim were in an altercation of some kind in the store prior to the shooting. The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation. The suspect was unidentified and remains at large.
Cornejo was San Jose's 14th homicide of 2022.
Anyone with information is asked to Contact Detective Sergeant Hamblin #3600 or Detective Valosek #4245 of the San José Police Department's Homicide unit at 408-277-5283, or via email: 3600@sanjoseca.gov and/or 4245@sanjoseca.gov
