San Jose

2 Arrested for Deadly Shooting in San Jose

NBC Universal, Inc.

San Jose police have arrested two men in connection with a fatal shooting Thursday that happened just a block away from last week's deadly mass shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority maintenance facility.

Eric Zarate, 43, and Michael Herrera, 34, were arrested for the shooting reported at 1:50 p.m. Thursday in the area of North San Pedro and West Hedding streets.

Officers saw a disturbance in the area and found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene and has been identified by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office as 20-year-old Malik Johnson.

Officers and Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies found and arrested Zarate and Herrera at the scene. The motive for the fatal shooting, the 18th homicide in San Jose in 2021, is under investigation, police said.

The shooting's proximity to the VTA facility, where a VTA employee on May 26 shot and killed nine of his co-workers and then himself in the deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history, prompted a statement from state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose.

"With our community still reeling from last week's horrific shooting, we are experiencing shock and profound heartbreak once again," Cortese said. "This is only another indication that meaningful steps need to be made to strengthen and expand California's laws to prevent this kind of violence and I am committed to taking any action needed to safeguard our community. This can't continue to happen."

Copyright BAYCN - Bay City News
Contact Us