Homicide victim was being prosecuted in another crime
A man who died over the weekend from gunshot wounds was being prosecuted for a high-profile robbery that led to gunfire breaking out at Oakridge Mall during the 2021 holiday shopping rush, according to authorities.
Ulises Jimenez, 20, of San Jose, died at Regional Medical Center on Saturday afternoon, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office. San Jose police say he got to the hospital just before 11 p.m. Friday.
Police called to the medical center determined that Jimenez had been shot at a home on Pepper Way, near North Jackson Avenue and Berryessa Road. A subsequent investigation ended with the arrest of a man.
Authorities have not released the suspect's name, nor have they disclosed what led up to the shooting, which marks the third homicide investigated by San Jose police this year.
At the time of his death, Jimenez was facing robbery-related charges connected to a notorious shooting at Westfield Oakridge Mall on Dec. 20, 2021. According to police and prosecutors, who cited mall surveillance footage, Jimenez and another man approached Naylen Hobson-Plattner and his girlfriend near the Forever 21 and Target stores, and grabbed jewelry off Hobson-Plattner.
Investigators say HobsonPlattner's girlfriend tried to push him toward an exit, but he resisted, reached into a bag, and pulled out a handgun that was modified for fully automatic fire. He shot more than a dozen rounds at Jimenez and the other man, who had run off, causing a mass panic of scared shoppers scrambling away.
The mall was locked down for nearly three hours, and it was only in the aftermath that authorities confirmed that no one was hit by the gunfire. Authorities said there is no indication that the men knew each other prior to that confrontation.
Jimenez was next scheduled to appear in court Feb. 28. HobsonPlattner continues to be held without bail in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and is set to appear in court March 30.
Anyone with information about Friday's shooting can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. Rafael Varela at 3638@sanjoseca.gov or Detective Jose Montoya at 3644@sanjoseca. gov. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.