A man shot and killed his former girlfriend in the parking lot of a West San Jose shopping center Tuesday morning before taking his own life, according to the San Jose Police Department. The shooting occurred at approximately 11:38 a.m. In the 500 block of El Paseo de Saratoga.
Police identified the shooter as Edgard Altamirano, 43, of San Jose. The woman, 24, as well of San Jose, has not yet been publicly identified pending notification of her family, according to authorities.
Investigators determined that Altamirano and the woman had ended a dating relationship several months prior to the shooting. Altamirano approached the woman and shot her multiple times before turning the gun on himself, police said. Both died at the scene.
The shooting took place near the European Wax Center, where the woman was employed, according to witnesses. A manager at the wax center, identified as a close friend of the victim, told reporters the shooting stemmed from an ongoing situation of domestic violence. “My waxer, she has been going through a really poor domestic violence with her ex,” Bryanna Nunez said. “I told her that she needed to acquire a restraining order on him as I knew What we have is exactly what would happen. He came and he shot her and then he shot himself. She didn’t deserve that. She was in a new relationship and she was happy finally.”
Police stated the incident was isolated and posed no ongoing threat to the public. The parking lot surrounding the crime scene was closed for several hours as homicide detectives investigated.
According to police and court records, Altamirano had no prior criminal history in Santa Clara County and was not subject to any existing domestic violence restraining orders.
The shooting occurred roughly 15 years after a similar incident within the same shopping complex. On January 15, 2011, Wayne Sanchez fatally shot Maurice Nasmeh at a Peet’s Coffee & Tea shop before taking his own life. That shooting was linked to the 2001 disappearance of Sanchez’s sister, Jeanine Harms, whose remains have never been found. Nasmeh had been a suspect in Harms’ disappearance, but charges were ultimately dismissed.
The San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit is continuing to investigate Tuesday’s shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Richard Martinez at 3934@sanjoseca.gov or Detective Christina Jize at 4324@sanjoseca.gov. Tips can also be submitted to Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.
This is the fourth homicide investigated by the San Jose Police Department in 2026. At the same point in 2025, the city had recorded three homicides.
Anyone struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org.
