San Jose: Evergreen homicide discovered after burglary call
SAN JOSE » Homicide detectives are investigating the death of an 84-year-old man discovered at an Evergreen home after officers responded to an active burglary there early Friday, according to San Jose police.
Police were called about 9:30 a.m. to a home in the 3200 block of Montecito Drive near Chaboya Middle School, and the arriving officers spotted a vehicle leaving the scene. They briefly chased the vehicle west toward San Felipe Road but called it off “due to safety reasons,” police said in a news release Saturday.
The officers returned to the scene, and police surrounded the house and tried to contact any residents who may have been inside. When they got no response, officers entered and searched the home. About an hour after the initial call, an officer reported finding the victim’s body. He was alone and had suffered an apparent head injury.
Officer Gina Tepoorten said homicide detectives, crime-scene investigators, special-operations and patrol officers spent most of the day examining the scene and canvassing the area for any suspects.
The initial burglary call was made by a neighbor who called police to report that people were breaking into the back of the victim’s home, according to police dispatch traffic archived online.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-coroner’s Office pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin.
Police had not named any suspects nor announced any arrests as of Saturday.
The neighbor who called in the burglary described two people who got in the car that fled and two people who ran away on foot.
“Detectives are working to identify and apprehend the suspects,” police said in the news release.
No additional information, including why the home may have been targeted, was released by police. The death marks the city’s 20th homicide of the year.
Neighbors told KGO-TV, this news organization’s media partner, that the victim was a beloved grandfather and known to many on the block.
“I’m still choked up about this, as are most of my neighbors,” neighbor Hai Chang, who lives two doors down, said in an interview with the news station. “It’s just hitting very close to home.”
Anyone with information about the case can contact SJPD Detective Sgt. Ali Miri or Detective James Cerniglia at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408947-STOP or svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.