San Jose police are investigating the city's 11th homicide after they found a man's body early Thursday morning in the eastern part of the city.
The man’s family told NBC Bay Area that his wife found him shot in his car parked near his home after work.
The victim’s uncle, Hector Hurtado, identified his nephew, Eric Mendoza, 27, as a family man who was killed for no apparent reason.
Mendoza leaves behind a 6-month-old baby boy.
"This is a big, big loss for our family," Hurtado said. "This shouldn't have happened."
Hurtado believes that Mendoza, a machinist in Belmont, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when police received reports of a shooting at 5:23 a.m. in the area of Lanai Avenue and Denali Way.
Hurtado said Mendoza was just getting home from work and was moving his car when shots rang out.
Lt. Jason Herr said responding officers found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene a short time later.
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“It appears from the crime scene he was probably shot while he was driving and at a slow speed hit the car in fro of him,” Lt. Herr said.
The circumstances surrounding the murder are under investigation. Neighbors gave surveillance video to investigators.
No suspects have been identified or apprehended at this time.
San Jose is now ahead of last year’s homicide rate. At this time last year, the city had seen 10 homicides.
