Pair of shootings in San Jose leave 5 men wounded
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - San Jose police are searching for suspects and witnesses in a pair of shootings Wednesday that left at least five people injured.
Shortly before 10 p.m., multiple 911 calls brought San Jose police to the 1100 block of East Williams Court. Arriving officers found five gunshot victims near an apartment complex. The victims range in age from the early 20s to early 30s. Each man suffered non-life threatening wounds and was taken to an area hospital.
“We do have shootings throughout the week here in San Jose. It is unusual to have one shooting where we have five victims that were at one crime scene. So that is unusual,” said Officer Gina Tepoorten, a spokeswoman for the San Jose Police Department.
Roughly two hours before that crime, multiple shots were fired near Kelly’s Liquor Store on North 4thStreet at East Empire Street. Investigators said a fight on the corner preceded the gunfire.
“Checked our cameras to see if we can get any more information about the whole incident. But unfortunately, we weren’t able to see anything due to the fact that it wasn’t held inside the store. Everything that happened took place outside the store,” said store manager Jonathan Morales.
Investigators said multiple rounds were fired, but no one was injured. At least two people were detained for questioning, but there have been no arrests. Store managers say gun violence in the neighborhood is out of the norm.
“I know we’re going through hard times right now. We did have an incident that happened two months ago with the store. But other than that, throughout the years I’ve been here, it’s never had anything going on like this,” said Morales.
Police officials said months of sheltering-in-place, coupled with economic uncertainty, may be exacerbating small conflicts and turning them into crimes.
“We do know that is a possibility. We’ve been locked in, sheltering-in-place for several weeks now. And we do know that could absolutely have an effect,” said Tepoorten. “We do believe that plays a part in this type of thing.”
In both cases, San Jose police said the shooter escaped. There are no suspect descriptions, so officers are asking the public to contact them if they have information.