San Jose police shoot man allegedly waving gun in neighborhood

San Jose police shot a man after neighbors called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report that a man was firing a gun in their neighborhood in an alleyway behind an apartment complex – the third officer-involved shooting this year.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police shot a man after neighbors called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report that a man was firing a gun in their neighborhood in an alleyway behind an apartment complex – the third officer-involved shooting this year.

As of Sunday evening, police said the man had life-threatening injuries.

As of Monday morning, there was still an active investigation going on about where the shooting occurred, including crime scene tape blocking off entry to part of a nearby shopping center.

Not many other details were released, but police did say they were called out about 4:10 p.m. to the 2700 block of Kollmar Drive investigating after receiving calls about a man actively firing a gun.

Police said when they arrived, the man continued to fire his gun, prompting them to shoot, seriously injuring him.

After the shooting, police took the man to the hospital and recovered a gun from the scene.

Neighbor Jorge Chavez shared cell phone video from his window showing several uniformed officers approaching a silver minivan with their guns raised.

The van had its windows shot out and was parked in an alleyway behind some apartments near a Dumpster.

No one was in the van when police went to look in the windows, and it's unclear how the van is connected to the suspect.

Cell phone video from another bystander showed a man screaming in pain, collapsed on the ground in the alleyway behind the apartment complex.

It’s difficult to see the man in the video, because he is in an area of the driveway shaded by trees.

Chavez said he heard the man screaming, then gunshots and then it went quiet.

A neighbor shared cell phone video of San Jose police approaching a minivan with their guns. May 19, 2024

Neighbors said the scene was chaotic.

"I probably counted about 15 cop cars," said Dante Avila, who lives nearby. "I got off on Capitol, was waiting on the light at Story Road and saw cop after cop."

He added: "We’re constantly taking walks, so it’s a little alarming that that happened here."

Police say they don’t know what prompted the shooting.

"When officers arrived on the scene, the suspect was still actively discharging a firearm, prompting an officer-involved shooting," said Sgt. Jorge Garibay.

Witnesses also say a silver van may have been involved in the shooting incident.

Sgt. Jorge Garibey said after officers shot the suspect, the person was given medical aid at the scene by emergency crews.

"We can tell you that no officers were struck by gunfire at that time. The suspect was hit by officer gunfire and was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries," Garibay said.

Police didn’t provide any other information about the suspect and said they'd need time to process any witness or video information.

San Jose police were involved in another shootout earlier this month at an Extended Stay hotel.

Two officers and a suspect were wounded on May 3, when the 33-year-old Kevin Briones reached into a duffle bag, pulled out a stolen handgun and began firing at officers, police said.

Briones fled while continuing to shoot at the officers. At least one officer returned fire, striking him. Both officers were hit by the Briones' gunfire.