Neighbors mourn couple killed in South Bay crime spree
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A makeshift sidewalk memorial sits outside a San Jose home to honor a couple allegedly killed by 31-year-old Kevin Parkourana.
Neighbors said the suspect intentionally drove into the pair Thursday evening.
"There’s no reason for it. These people didn’t hurt nobody. They were good people," said neighbor Genny Carranza.
Communities across the South Bay struggled to make sense of crime spree that left three people dead and three others injured.
Parkourana allegedly started the violent attacks near his home on Kooser Avenue in the Blossom Hill section of San Jose.
Suspect in deadly South Bay crime spree has history of violence, mental illness
The man suspected of killing three people and injuring another three has a lengthy criminal and mental health history causing even city officials to question where the criminal justice system failed.
"Two days ago, I did see him. He was getting out of his car with his mom. And he looked normal. He looked good. He looked fine. Wouldn’t have suspected the next day anything like this would have happened," said Paige Stanton, who lives across the street from Parkourana.
An army of police officers converged on Parkourana's home Thursday evening, but they were too late to prevent the crimes.
Investigators said Parkourana stabbed and carjacked victims at shopping areas in South San Jose.
The day after the attacks, patrons said they felt violent crime was sweeping across the region.
"You see I’m here with my family, and we have kids all in the parking lot. And it’s not safe, man. It’s not safe for anybody. Especially if it happened in broad daylight," said shopper David Hong.
Detectives said Parkourana left the first two scenes, and drove north to South 16th and East Santa Clara streets in the Julian neighborhood of the city. There, he allegedly drove into the Phams as they did home improvement work outside their property, killing the couple.
"For them to have their lives just ripped away like that, it’s not fair," said Carranza.
Police said Parkourana then drove to the 400 block of Jacklin Road in Milpitas, and stabbed another victim.
"Fire department and police personnel arrived on-scene and transported that victim to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased," said Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez, at an afternoon news briefing.
Milpitas police secured a nearby high school graduation, and arrested Parkourana at a shopping mall.
"What makes me even angrier when I seen him being arrested with no remorse like he didn’t even care. Like he probably would be been killing more people out there if they didn’t catch him," said Carranza.
The suspect’s car and a knife were recovered in Milpitas.
Investigators said there’s still no motive as to what sparked these crimes.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Twitter, @JesseKTVU and Instagram, @jessegontv.