Police shoot, kill Black man in front of home
Officials say victim pointed a weapon at officers on scene
SAN JOSE >> Police shot and killed a Black man during a confrontation Monday night in North San Jose, with the police department saying the man pointed a gun at an officer who then opened fire.
But San Jose police released few other details Tuesday about what led up to the shooting and announced a formal news conference would be held later this week. Relatives of the man who died, whose identity has not been publicly released, said they were still waiting for information from police to piece together what happened.
Even with the absence of details from police, civil rights activists in the South Bay were quickly mobilizing Tuesday to spotlight and protest the shooting, including the San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP, HERO Tent and BLACK Outreach SJ.
Throughout the morning and day Tuesday, family and friends of the man who died gathered in front of the home where he lived; many declined to speak to reporters. At one point, several people could be seen standing or crouching in the middle of the street, examining a spot where they believe the man fell and soon died.
One woman who identified herself as a relative offered a short reaction to the shooting.
“It’s really sad. It’s senseless,” she said. “Another young man gone for no reason.”
The shooting was reported at 9:43 p.m. Monday in the 1100 block of Tofts Drive, in a neighborhood bounded by Flickinger Avenue, Berryessa Road and Interstate 680.
San Jose police announced in a tweet late Monday night that officers were in the area for an unspecified investigation involving the person who was killed. In a short media briefing Tuesday morning, Sgt. Christian Camarillo said two officers were at the site. Later that morning, the police department wrote in a tweet that one officer opened fire after the man pointed a gun at him.
Police have not commented on whether the shooting was recorded on any police body cameras, though home-security cameras appeared to be pointing at the street where the shooting occurred.
This marks the second fatal police shooting of the year by San Jose police. On Jan. 21, officers shot and killed 27-year-old David Tovar Jr. in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the city’s east foothills. Tovar was unarmed. He had been sought by authorities in connection with a homicide in Gilroy and other violent attacks in South Santa Clara County.