Police chief lauds officers for saving lives of family
The San Jose man killed by a police officer last month was wielding two machetes and what was later revealed to be a replica gun while he held a family hostage in their home, according to the San Jose Police Department.
In a news conference March 27, San Jose police Chief Anthony Mata called the situation a “terrifying home invasion” that created a “volatile and high-risk situation.” None of the people held hostage were injured.
“The swift, decisive and life-saving actions of the responding officers resulted in the rescue of a mother and her two children from an unknown armed assailant,” Mata said. “Every officer at this event was absolutely determined to save the family and arrive at a peaceful resolution while knowing they had very little room for error.”
Mata said the department received calls around 8:30 p.m. March 22 reporting a fight involving a machete in an apartment in the 900 block of Boynton Avenue in West San Jose. Later calls revealed an adult woman was screaming for help from the apartment. A responding officer advised the department that a man was inside with a machete.
Officers made attempts to speak to the suspect, later identified as Eliobert Gonzalez-rocha, in both English and Spanish but he never responded, Mata said. After a short time, officers ruled that it was a hostage situation and called in the MERGE unit — the San Jose police department's specialtactics squad — for help.
The husband of the woman and father of the 7and 18-year-old boys later arrived at the scene.
Officers saw Gonzalezrocha in the rear bedroom of the apartment through an opening in the window coverings; they reported he was holding a machete while the victims held their hands up. At one point, the mother was able to move the 7-year old to a closet, authorities said.
Police said Gonzalez-rocha eventually ordered the mother to tie the 18-year old's hands with an electrical cord, and told them both to kneel and face away from him.
“Due to the suspect's actions and erratic behavior, officers believed the situation was escalated and also believed that the family's lives were in immediate and mortal danger,” Mata said.
Officers at the rear of the home saw Gonzalez-rocha becoming more agitated, Mata said, and made a plan to initiate entry into the home. One officer saw the suspect holding a machete in one hand and a handgun, later found to be a replica, in the other.
An officer used a tool to break into the home through the rear window, saw the suspect raise the machete toward one of the victims and fired multiple rounds at the suspect, Mata said. Gonzalez-rocha was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“This traumatic and terrifying incident will remain with this family for the rest of their lives,” Mata said. “It is also an incident that will affect the rest of the officers that were present that night, especially the officer that saved their lives by taking another … To say that I am proud of the officers does not begin to describe what it feels like to lead our amazing men and women.”
Just one officer, a nineyear veteran of the department, fired shots at Gonzalez-rocha and was placed under administrative leave. The officer was wearing a body camera, and Mata said the footage will be released at a later date. The case will then go to the office of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, where it'll be determined whether the killing was lawful.
Police later determined that Gonzalez-rocha was recently evicted from an apartment in the same complex and was attempting to reclaim his keys but searching for a manager in the wrong place, Mata said. He added that Gonzalez-rocha broke in through the apartment's sliding glass door wielding two machetes, the replica handgun and a metal pole. Gonzalez-rocha threatened to kill the three victims as he demanded his keys.
Mata said the replica gun found at the scene can fire non-lethal projectiles, but didn't specify exactly what type of ammunition the firearm used. State law requires the California Attorney General to investigate police killings of people determined to be unarmed.
Mata added that the department believes the break-in was a case of mistaken identity, and that members of the family held hostage said later that they didn't know who Gonzalezrocha was.