SAN JOSE — Police said officers shot and killed a man suspected in a pair of fatal shootings in San Jose and Modesto that happened in a two-hour span.
The suspect’s death Wednesday morning followed a police chase and a standoff at a South San Jose home during which the man reportedly fired at officers.
The man was holed up for more than seven hours in the shed of a home on Bendorf Drive in the city’s Edenvale neighborhood, San Jose police Sgt. Christian Camarillo said in a Wednesday news conference. No police officers were injured during the confrontation.
“Unfortunately the outcome was not what we wanted,” Camarillo said. “We wanted a peaceful resolution to this incident.”
Authorities said the suspect — who was not immediately identified — knew the two people killed and was involved in a separate domestic disturbance involving one of his relatives Tuesday afternoon.
The first homicide was reported at 7:11 p.m. Tuesday in the 1400 block of Mount Shasta Drive, near Mount Vista Drive, according to San Jose police. A wounded man was taken to a hospital, where he died from gunshot injuries.
The suspect then traveled to Modesto, where he shot and killed a woman at about 9:20 p.m., according to Modesto police. Michelle Rose Gonzales, 29, was shot outside her home.
One of Gonzales’ children had called 911, police said. Neighbors told the Modesto Bee that Gonzales was shot in front of her children; they reported hearing gunshots and screaming. They described Gonzales as the mother of two children, ages 9 and 4 months.
Shortly after 11 p.m., police said, officers located the suspect in San Jose and alerted other authorities of his location and the vehicle’s description. Along with the California Highway Patrol, officers initiated a chase, which ended when the man abandoned his vehicle after a collision near Bendorf and Roundtable drives.
The man fled on foot from officers who were pursuing him, Camarillo said. During the chase, the suspect reportedly fired at the officers more than once.
The suspect entered a shed in the backyard of a residence on Bendorf Drive, where he barricaded himself for several hours, police said. It was not immediately clear if he had any connection to the address or if he chose the location at random. Residents reported seeing someone matching his description knocking on windows and jumping fences between homes.
Police said the barricaded man opened fire on officers from the shed but did not hit anyone. The shooting prompted police to evacuate nearby homes as a safety precaution.
Camarillo said that at 7:22 a.m., the man emerged from the shed and pointed a gun at special-operations officers, prompting the officers to open fire.
Camarillo said that was the only time that officers fired at the man, through the police chase and ensuing standoff. The man was taken to a hospital. Just after 11 a.m., police said that he had died.
A woman and two children were in the car with the suspect at one point, but he let them out before the chase ended, police said. Authorities have not disclosed the relationship between the suspect and the woman, but neighbors of Gonzales said he might have had a connection to her children.
The incident marked the third shooting this year by a San Jose police officer; two have been fatal.
The man killed in the shooting on Mount Shasta Drive was not immediately identified. That death marked the 17th homicide investigated by San Jose police this year.
