Man fatally shoots ex-girlfriend, himself at San Jose shopping center parking lot, police say

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A man fatally shot a woman before turning the gun on himself at a shopping center parking lot in San Jose on Tuesday, according to police.

The shooting was reported at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center near Saratoga and Campbell avenues in West San Jose.

Coworkers and loved ones built a memorial outside of the European Wax Center storefront to remember a 24-year-old woman killed just feet away.

Her current boyfriend, Hayden Cranz, said the love felt there is not surprising.

"She was so passionate, very kind and loving and sweet," Cranz said. "She loves to do things for the people. She spent a lot of time in a lot of dark rooms and with a lot of dark people. And I think all she really wanted was just to be excited about her future for the first time in her life."

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San Jose police on Wednesday provided more details about the case, saying a man later identified as 43-year-old Edgard Altamirano had a prior dating relationship with a 24-year-old woman that ended several months earlier. Altamirano confronted the woman and shot her multiple times before shooting and killing himself, police said.

One witness told ABC7 Eyewitness News he heard about seven rounds of gunshots.

"I screamed, cried for a while, I'll tell you that," Cranz said. "And today, I'm still in shock. Honestly, it doesn't feel very real."

Cranz said the two shared a four-and-a-half-year problematic relationship that ended a few months ago.

Police say that the suspect had no criminal history that they knew of and the gun used was legally registered in his name.

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"This suspect was legally the owner of the firearm and just chose to use it in an illegal manner," SJPD Sgt. Jorge Garibay said. "And whether or not there could have been any signs that could have led us down to whether this person should have had a restraining order or a gun violence protective order, that's something that we're going to look into."

Cranz said he has known the woman since high school, despite only recently starting to date.

He was proud of her for taking steps to turn her life around.

"I think that's what her last moments probably were in her mind -- I hope," Cranz said. "That's kind of what helps me through it. All of that realization that she, in her last moments, believed that she'd done it, that she'd gone from her bad beginnings and is starting to turn your life around. And I loved being a part of it."

The woman's name was not immediately available. The case is being investigated as San Jose's fourth homicide of 2026.

Police say this is an isolated incident, with no continuing threat to the public.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Martinez or Detective Jize at 3934@sanjoseca.gov, 4324@sanjoseca.gov or at (408) 277-5283.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic violence, police ask you contact the National Domestic Violence hotline by texting 88788.

Bay City News contributed to this report.