The City of San Jose’s homicide total officially reached a 25-year high on Christmas Eve, after a woman was stabbed to death at a home in downtown San Jose in what authorities are calling a domestic dispute.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Saturday night’s murder was the city’s 47th homicide in 2016. There were 53 killings in 1991, and since 2011, San Jose has reportedly averaged 40 homicides a year.
Authorities said police received a 911 call around 6:43 p.m., from the man believed to have committed the stabbing. According to the Mercury News, when they responded to the townhouse they found a wounded woman inside. She was reportedly rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
During a late-night press conference, Lieutenant Paul Spagnoli, with the San Jose Police Department said, “we’re still working on what the relationship is between the victim and the suspect.”
Lt. Paul Spagnoli, commander of @SanJosePD homicide unit, describes fatal Christmas Eve stabbing. Suspect in custody @mercnews pic.twitter.com/HNxTy82Erh
— Robert Salonga (@robertsalonga) December 25, 2016
However, according to the Mercury News, it was the victim’s husband who called 911. This is reportedly the third domestic-violence related killing of the year, while several more have also involved family ties.
Husband was the one who called 911. Victim died at the hospital. Third domestic-violence related killing of the year
— Robert Salonga (@robertsalonga) December 25, 2016
Lt. Spagnoli added, “when officers arrived on scene, there was also a male subject here who was taken into custody that we believe is our suspect.”
A report completed by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) earlier this year found that the number of homicides committed in major cities during the first half of this year rose by more than 15 percent, and overall violent crime rose by more than two percent compared to the first half of 2015.
The San Jose Police Department was included in the MCCA’s report as one of 29 of the 51 major cities listed whose police departments reported having increases in the number of homicides. Other California police departments include the Long Beach PD, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept., Los Angeles PD and the San Diego PD.
This past June, San Jose police departments faced criticism for what the Associated Press described as “tepid and tardy law enforcement response to attacks of Donald Trump supporters after a political rally” in that city.
Photo: file
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Periscope and Twitter @AdelleNaz
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.