Gilroy police have arrested a 19-year-old Gilroy man in connection with an early-morning shooting Saturday during a party at City Councilwoman Rebecca Armendariz’s residence that left one teenager dead and three others wounded.
Officers on Sunday said they booked Benjamin David Calderon, 19, into the Santa Clara County Jail on a homicide charge after serving a search warrant Saturday afternoon at a house on the 7100 block of Church Street in Gilroy. Further details about his arrest were not released.
The deadly shooting left hanging several questions for Armendariz, who is nearing the end of her first term on the council after having served on the city’s planning commission, including whether she was at the house when the shooting took place, and her association with those involved in it.
One person died and three others — all ages 17 to 19 — were hospitalized in the shooting, which occurred when a fight broke out before 1 a.m. in the 400 block of Las Animas Avenue in Gilroy, according to police. The home is in a semi-rural stretch of Las Animas Avenue that fronts Highway 101.
The name of the person killed has not been released.
Two distinct sets of shots — first a few, then a break, then multiple others — rang out from the councilwoman’s house early Saturday morning, said Aubrey Tasey, 38, who lives in a recreational vehicle down the street. He said he then saw several people running and screaming before police swarmed the house. Some of them were wearing Halloween costumes.
Officers arrived to a large outdoor party where at least one person had fired a gun. One male was declared dead at the scene. The other victims were taken to area hospitals, two with life-threatening injuries.
On Sunday, one victim was hospitalized in critical condition and another was in serious condition, Gilroy police said. The third victim to survive the shooting was discharged from the hospital.
Gilroy police continued to block off the entire 400 block of Las Animas Avenue with crime-scene tape. To the south of Armendariz’s house, several investigators walked in a line in grid-like pattern through a large field that also had been taped off.
Armendariz issued a statement on Saturday, saying that she was unable to share details about the shooting, citing the active investigation. She said she and her family are cooperating with police.
“I am thankful that my family and I, who live on Las Animas, were not hurt in this tragedy, and I pray for those whose loved ones have been touched by what has occurred,” she said.
“We hope the Gilroy community will come together with love and support for those touched by yesterday’s events at the appropriate time,” she added.
From her statement, it’s not clear whether Armendariz was home at the time of the shooting. Gilroy police Sgt. Lamonte Toney also said he couldn’t say whether Armendariz was present for what is the city’s fifth homicide of 2021.
Mayor Marie Blankley called it a “horrible, horrible shooting and young life lost” and said she had sent Armendariz “my thoughts and prayers.”
Armendariz was elected to the City Council in 2020, bringing to the position a background in activism and community organizing. She is a founding board member of Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy and Services, otherwise known as CARAS, a nonprofit that focuses on advocacy, service and cultural events, the Gilroy Dispatch reported.
“My life and career have been spent advocating for youth, workers, women, and immigrants, including many of our essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Armendariz said in a 2020 campaign statement.
She unsuccessfully ran for the City Council in 2012 and previously served on the city’s Planning Commission, Housing Advisory Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission and Community Block Grant Advisory Committee.
Her LinkedIn page shows that she also works as a union representative for the Operating Engineers Local No. 3 in Santa Clara County, which represents workers in construction, as well as highway maintenance workers, police officers and other public employees.
Police said anyone with information about the shooting may contact Detective Chris Silva at 408-846-0335 or the anonymous tip line at 408-846-0330.
Source: www.mercurynews.com