Victim walks into Sheriff’s office with wound; claims there was
no one in the area
San Martin – A 42-year-old San Martin resident was shot in the back while walking home from work Saturday night, police said. The man walked to a nearby store where they got a ride to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s substation. The man was flown to Regional Medical Center of San Jose.
According to police, the victim was walking with his friend near the intersection of San Martin and Sycamore avenues about 8:30pm when he felt something hit him in the back.
“He lifted up his shirt, and his friend looked and there was blood,” said Deputy Serg Palanov.
The two men walked to Mama’s Market where they got a ride to the Sheriff’s station.
The victim suffered what may be a .22 caliber gunshot to his back, police said. The wound was about a half-dollar in size and he complained of stomach pain.
“He was calm when he was talking to us, the concern was that it was so close to the spine,” Palanov said.
The victim was wearing a blue T-shirt, a blue sweatshirt, and a white sleeveless undershirt when he was shot.
He told police there was no one in the area when it occurred, but mentioned he saw a white van.
Police do not have enough information to determine whether the shooting is gang-related, or from where the bullet came from.
“He didn’t hear anything. There was no disturbance, there was no exchange with anybody beforehand,” said Lt. Dale Unger, South County Commander. “That’s what is frustrating, we don’t know a lot of information right now.”
As of press time, the man’s condition was unknown and police did not know whether the bullet was recovered.
“It may be that from where it’s located that it’s too dangerous to remove,” Palanov said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Rose Mitre at 808-4500.
