SJPD announced two homicides over the weekend: they were the sixth and seventh homicides of 2024.
In the 2300 block of Arden Way in San Jose, police responded to a report of a possible deceased person on Feb. 17 and then found a deceased adult woman who they determined to be the victim of a homicide.
Homicide detectives began an immediate investigation which determined that the woman’s boyfriend was the prime suspect. Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) assisted detectives in discovering that the suspect fled in a vehicle. Coordinating with allied agencies, police determined that the suspect crashed his vehicle and perished sometime after the incident.
According to a fact sheet published by Shelter From The Storm, an advocacy non-profit for victims of Intimate Partner Violence, an average of 124 women per year are murdered at the hands of an intimate partner in California.
Of these victims, 45% were in the process of separating from their partner. Seventy-six percent involved a history of violence where others were aware of the abuse. In one out of five cases, a person other than the primary victim, often a child, was severely injured or killed at the time the murder of the woman took place.
The second homicide occurred the next night, Feb. 18. Patrol officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 3000 block of Story Road, where an apparent gathering was taking place, and identified two victims.
Officers performed life-saving measures to the two victims, but a male victim succumbed to his injuries. A female victim remains in the hospital in critical condition.
An additional female victim from the same incident was identified after being dropped off at a nearby hospital and has non life-threatening injuries. This incident is still under investigation.
