Gilroy Police have arrested Benjamin David Calderon, a 19-year-old Gilroy resident, in connection with the Oct. 30 shooting incident at the home of Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz that left one person dead and three others in the hospital. Calderon was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for homicide, according to authorities.
The violence took place at a large Halloween party on the 400 block of Las Animas Avenue after midnight on Oct. 30. The victims’ ages range from 17 to 19 years.
Around 4:15pm, members of the Gilroy/Morgan Hill Regional SWAT team served a search warrant at a residence on the 7100 block of Church Street in Gilroy and arrested Calderon, according to authorities.
Facebook links between members of the councilmember’s family and a Calderon family that seemed to indicate a relationship disappeared on Sunday.
One commenter on the Gilroy Dispatch’s Facebook page shared an image that purported to be a Halloween party invitation coinciding with the time and place of the one at which the shooting event occurred. The host of the party was named Ben. The phone number on the invitation rang to a voicemail greeting for a Benjamin Calderon.
Police have released few details about the events leading up to the shooting, which allegedly followed an altercation among people at the party. Armendariz has not commented publicly about the incident.
