San Jose 1 homicide short of last year's total

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Neighbors showed video recordings of the street chaos in San Jose late Thursday night. Around 10 p.m., San Jose police say a man was gunned down near the intersection of Willow and Sherman Streets.

"I [thought] that was a gunshot, so I opened the door, and as I opened the door I could hear all the chaos," said a neighbor who did not want to give her name.

She said the victim lost his life trying to track down the thief who robbed him of his wallet.

A second witness described what she saw.

"He started to take a few steps. The gentleman turned around and shot him," the elderly woman said. "The shooter ran through the parking lot, bank of the west and headed downtown."

Thursday night's killing is the 29th so far this year— only one shy of 2015's total of 30 homicides.

Investigators say current numbers reflect the average homicide rate, but don't know why the number’s not as low as last year.

They say last night's shooting death could have been prevented had the 30-something-year-old victim not chased the suspect.

"This is the result. It’s not that the person did anything wrong, and we're not saying that. But again, these are some of the outcomes that can happen when you approach somebody," said officer Albert Morales, a spokesman for the San Jose police department.

Some residents living in the neighborhood where the crime occurred said the best remedy for violence and crime is a greater police presence.

"I will go downtown and ask for some kind of resolution to this problem. It is horrible."

Investigators are withholding the name of the victim until his family is notified.

A police sketch artist is using witness statements to create a composite of the suspect in this case.